


Scrapbook

by wheelparty



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blogging, Crossover, Metafiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 08:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 90
Words: 151,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20094199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheelparty/pseuds/wheelparty
Summary: This story is the start of a great journey… A relic from ancient past… A set of writings that would eventually lead to countless others… A work that would chronicle tales of many different lands, and with them, some of my own life… This story is my blog. AU, metafiction





	1. July 26, 2017

**Welcome to another chapter story, Scrapbook. The formatting for this story is a little bit different, along with the name.**

**It has to do with what the story is.**

**This story is the start of a great journey…**

**A relic from ancient past…**

**A set of writings that would eventually lead to countless others…**

**A work that would chronicle tales of many different lands, and with them, some of my own life…**

**This story is my blog.**

**Some readers may be familiar with this blog, having read about it on the top of my profile. This blog was started on July 26, 2017 in a website known as The Artist's Zone. On that site, the blog was known as Musings of the Wheels.**

**I started the blog is a bit of an experiment. I always wanted one, and was delighted that The Artist's Zone gave members the option of creating them. I decided I wanted to use my blog to write shorter, technical, and humorous works. It was mainly to see if I could do that, since this wasn't something that I had tried before.**

**Since I'm both a gamer and a writer, I decided that would write entries in my blog based on games I played and stories I've written was planning to write. I tried to write at least once every day, although sometimes I would write more than once. This led to a great many entries on The Artist's Zone. **

**Overall, the blog was a great success, as I enjoyed the style of writing I used there. It also got me into lighthearted and shorter content. However, as I became good at those styles, I started having less use for my blog. Eventually, the blog was more or less abandoned, although I did try to do a few other experiments, namely playing a game from start to finish on it.**

**All of this of eventually led to the decision to port it directly. I realized that over the many months I used it, I had collected around 200 entries. It was enough to create a story of its own. However, with the way the Artist's Zone works, very few people could see it. I decided I didn't that to be the case any longer, with such a large story waiting to be told. I also knew I wouldn't be using the blog any longer by the time I made the decision to port it, so I wouldn't have to worry about constant updates.**

**So I decided to bring that blog here.**

**A few notes about the blog, however. **

**It's formatted very differently from most of my other stories. **

**This blog was originally created for an audience already familiar with what I was blogging about. As a result, the writing is very technical, a lot less detailed than what is usually seen, doesn't have a lot of explanation, will not have chapter titles of the dates, and involves metafiction. **

**Entries are usually pretty short, even shorter than most of my short stories already posted to this account. However, the length of the entries is balanced out by the fact that there are a lot of them. Each entry is a separate chapter, so the work itself will be very long. Those who don't like works with a lot of chapters may want to give this one a pass. **

**Typically, I use a lot of authors note in my stories. Depending on what is being written about at the time, this may not always be the case. Most notes before the entries will be of normal length, aside from this one since it contains the explanation.**

**As I stated before, this blog is mostly lighthearted and humorous. Therefore, the darker themes that come up in most of my stories usually won't come up here. I will try to warn when an entry is a bit darker, but the entry should still be lighter than what I usually write.**

**Finally, there are spoilers for stories that I am considering writing, stories that I have written, and stories that I was thinking of writing about in the past, and may have still been on my account at one point. There's also spoilers for the many games the blog was written about. There's a lot of entries with countless different topics, so it's unfortunately not possible for me to give severed spoiler warnings for every single one. However, I will say that I do give hint at what I'm going to talk on the entry before I start. So if that hint involves something you'd rather not be spoiled about, skip the entry or part of it.**

**This blog's categorization is a bit different than most of my other stories as well. It's considered a crossover because of while a lot of my entries are about Pokémon, not all of them are. Unfortunately, there are far too many games talked about to simply put the blog into two categories. If I used all of the games that were on this blog, the categories would go on forever. So that's why it's in miscellaneous games as well. **

**With that out of the way, a huge thank you to the Artist's Zone for allowing its members to create blogs, and being some of the blog's first visitors. Furthermore, all characters and games mentioned in this story are property of their respective companies. Lastly, see the author's notes for details.**

**So begins the first entry…**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 26, 2017)**

Playing Fantasy Life again. Currently on Chapter 4, fulfilling the Other Requests page in Al Majaak. Money is a bit low, because I just bought the Holiday Home. Currently a level 37 Hero Paladin, with Odin and Dragonslayer in my party.

Completed the Vitalweed quest in the desert town… That one was easy… The Sun Cluster quest on the other hand… At least the Golems that drop it aren't too tough, but it seems they never do…

Got another quest to kill a bunch of walking cacti with arms… May as well kill everything else in sight…

Oh look, I completed another quest... Apparently, I'm good at taking out bandits…

Hilarious thing happened while fighting a Golem… I was fighting when my allies got stuck behind a skeleton in the desert… They didn't figure their way out until I shifted slightly and they followed me… At least the golems are weak enough to defeat on my own…

Oh look, I just got another story idea off this… Well, it'll be nothing if not interesting…

Been getting a lot of money with the bounties… Still no luck with the Sun Clusters though… Maybe I will have better luck if I head somewhere else…

Also, I love the music in the game. The night themes are so pretty, and the desert theme is so fitting… I'll miss it when I'm done…

I was so busy finding a secret item in the desert that I nearly lost my bounty when enemies started attacking it… Thankfully, the Dragonslayer destroyed them… It was only a measly outlaw leader, but I will have to be more careful…

Also found a secret treasure chest in the desert… It had a Sack of Treasure within… All the money!

Speaking of outlaw leaders, got another quest involving them. Should be easy.

What's not easy is those Sun Clusters… Random drops is something I will not miss… I've heard you can buy them later on though, so I may just wait for that…

Lost a bounty right after I said that would be more careful... Placed it too close to an enemy and destroyed it myself… At least I completed the cactus quest, and leveled up…

Still hunting in the desert… I'll have to save for now though… I will continue after swimming and lunch…

Well, lunch was delicious and the pool was refreshing. Next task will be to switch games to my Pokémon Emerald Randomlocke. I am a bit behind, seeing as I lost two Pokémon to the fifth Gym Leader and one Pokémon (stupidly) to training…

First thing will be to hit the route north of Rustboro and get a catch… Then, off to finish up New Mauville... Actually, I'm at Mauville right now... I will do things in reverse order.

Ugh… Wild Furret are pretty fast… My Altaria is too slow to run from them and one just hit me five times with Fury Swipes… Maybe I should put someone else in the lead…

And I still can't escape, even with other Pokémon… I'll have to be careful… Not to mention I screwed up the puzzle and have to backtrack… To be honest, I was at first annoyed when they toned down this place in the remakes… But now I'm glad. It's pretty annoying…

Almost lost my only surfer to two forced encounters (Kabutops with Mud Shot and Barboach with Magnitude; my surfer is Relicanth). A couple of injured Pokémon later, I make it to the end. And the TM I get for my troubles is… Magnitude.

I'm closer to the desert, but I'm still going to head for the route north of Rustboro. It's no longer safe to travel with less than six Pokémon… I reach the route, easily surfing over to the grass. I had to fight a few Trainers first, though…

So I just faced a Smeargle who Sketched Pursuit... I stupidly try to switch out my Ghost type, only to get smacked with Pursuit on the switch… On top of that, it was a critical... Thankfully, Smeargle's stats are low…

Finally make it to the grass and my catch is Weepinbell. Not the best, but definitely worth using. I think it will be my next member.

And a nice easy catch… Tower is a fitting name… I think that's all for now, though. Perhaps I'll post again later on.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**-So there are two titles the blog mainly uses. The reason for this was because I wanted to separate my entries about gaming, and my entries about writing. The gaming ones were called Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer, which is why the title is used in this entry.**

**-As the entry stated, I was in the middle of playing Fantasy Life when I began the blog. I was also just starting to get into the fandom, so I was having a lot of story ideas. One story idea was someone fighting a bunch of tough enemies on the lonesome, because that situation is very likely to come up in the game. I figured it would be slightly based off of the situation I mentioned in this entry, but I've yet to actually write it.**

**-The Emerald Randomlocke comes from a real-life event I was participating in at the time. On the same site that I created this blog in, there was an event where a bunch of Pokémon players would come together and decide to do a challenge. That challenge was known as a Randomlocke. In this challenge, there were a few rules. **

**One of them was that all Pokémon were randomized. The others were that only the first Pokémon and each route could be caught, and if a player missed a catch, they couldn't try for another. The exception was for Pokémon that could use moves to get around the world map. In this case, those Pokémon could only use those moves, and could not be included as regular party members.**

**Every Pokémon in the challenge had to be nicknamed, and if the Pokémon fainted, it could not be used again. They did Pokémon either had to be completely released, or put in special boxes forever.**

**What made this one interesting was that there was also a chat room going on. Each Pokémon player would try to log in at the same time and would chat with each other while playing the game. Chats ranged from gaming updates, to try and help each other out, to even just things completely random. Only an hour could be played each day, with a few exceptions, and the chat room is also a way to monitor how often players were playing. **

**An element of speed was also present, because the first player to reach the end of the game would be declared the winner. However, the situation is only present if there were two or more players that were able to play. If any of the players lost all their Pokémon, they would be eliminated from the challenge. At that point, the last player left standing would be declared the winner, regardless of where they were. They could still continue to the end of the game, but it was entirely optional.**

**I ended up winning that challenge, both by being the last player left standing, and the only one to reach the end of the game. I am considering writing a fan fiction about the challenge, but it is not written yet.**

**And therefore are more entries than this one, with even more events to come…**


	2. July 26, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome to the chapter of Scrapbook! As always, check the author's notes for details, and all characters and games are property of their respective companies. Enjoy!**

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 26, 2017: Part 2)**

* * *

I logged into Fire Emblem: Heroes today to get my bonuses. Two orbs is worth getting, especially since I'm not spending any real money.

Nowadays, I remember how much I love setting the game on auto-battle. There's nothing more hilarious than watching the game play itself and watching my overpowered crew tear through weaklings.

There's some good daily quests going on right now, provided the player defeats a certain amount of opponents. And it doesn't matter what type of opponents the player beats, so it's worth doing that for a while, at least.

Speaking of beaten opponents, I visited the arena and found out that I'd done so badly I dropped a tier... Now I get less payout… Makes sense, considering I couldn't beat anyone last week… I'll have to rectify that in the coming days…

Also, Leo has increased appearance rates right now. He is one of my favorite characters, so of course I'm trying to summon him.

As almost always, I have rotten luck and summon a bunch of people I already have.

I have to wonder why the Army of Heroes chooses to rely on me…

Speaking of summoning, I hear there will be a new summoning focus Friday. Perhaps there will be new story chapters soon, too? I can only hope… That last cliffhanger was just cruel…

Fire Emblem: Heroes only lasts a few minutes though, so back to Fantasy Life.

Time to hunt pterodactyls. I must help His Darkness with the popularity poll! Good thing I'm almost done with the quest…

Oh, and take out some outlaw leaders, too. That's just as important. Maybe.

Ah, I don't know where to find the outlaws! I will just kill everything in sight… Again.

I wonder if I can take a Gale Spirit… Something tells me this is a very bad idea, but I'm going to do it anyway. After all, I have my trusty sword and my invincible power of cooking. What could go wrong?

Speaking of cooking, I'm going to cook a new recipe in real life on Friday. I wonder what rank that makes me…

Couldn't find a Gale Spirit, but did find an outlaw leader. Quite easy pickings.

Finished the pterodactyl quest… Haha… That was hilarious… The game does have a point though... Why don't the knights in the city defeat the pterodactyls? Even funnier considering I have one of them in my party…

No luck on the Sun Clusters though… Guess I'm heading to the stores after all…

Finally got all the outlaw leaders… Had some extremely bad luck with bounties though… And an enemy spawned right where I'd left one and destroyed it… At least I quickly got another one…

With that, I think the only quest I have left in Al Maajak is the one where I have to gather apples… Why do so many of the Paladin quests involve gathering fruit? It has nothing to do with the creed of protecting the weak…

Something funny happened where I was positioned just right where I was being covered up by the box while delivering the boundaries… It looked like my face had turned into a box…

The quest requires I return home, and returning home brings me back to my adorable Chewy and Myla. Chewy… Named after my first dog… He looks just like the real one did…

Myla doesn't look anything like her real-life counterpart, but she has the same name… I don't even know if that real-life counterpart is still alive… It's been years…

It's a shame that the pets become too weak to help in battle… I really enjoyed having them along… I still want to get another…

After going back and forth to Farley's Plantation, I finally have enough Rainbow Apples. Someone should grow those in real life… I bet they taste good…

Alright, time for the quests in Port Puerto. First on the list is to gather Earth Mana. Luckily, I was a Wizard first, so I'm able to buy it right in the city! Sure beats hunting Earth Spirits…

Also, got a new quest for Sapphires. Headed back to the magic town after all…

Okay, last quest is on the summit of Mount Snowpeak… Just defeat the easy enemies…

And that's that! So that's all the quests before I can continue on through the main story. But I'll save that for next time.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**-So some entries are divided into parts. Sometimes, I would have enough time to create an entry, go do something else, then return to create another one in the same day. In order to avoid posting late or having an entry that is very long, I would divide the separate sections into parts.**

**-For the curious, Myla is a bird, because birds can be bought as pets and sent into battle in Fantasy Life. She's named after a bird my sister owned. Unfortunately, my family became unable to keep her, so she was adopted by someone else. This was years ago, and we lost track of the new owner. Hence why I wonder if the real-life bird is still alive.**


	3. July 26, 2017: Part 3

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, check the author's notes for details. All characters and games are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Writing: Backstage Pass (July 26, 2017)**

Back to the Altar again. Describing Pokémon now (specifically, Staraptor, Luxray, and Alakazam). That is easy… The death scene after this, on the other hand…

Fun fact. I didn't very good take notes on my Nuzlocke run, so I wasn't entirely sure how to do the death of the character. I have hardly any information stored in the notes, aside from times he got injured or learned certain moves. Somehow, I remembered how I used to treat him in combat, and decided to base the character off that. Hope it works out…

Got a couple other things I need to work out too… One of the things involves a character from another story… This character was added later into the main plot, and I wanted her to be more relevant. Unfortunately, I started having a little trouble on how to do that. After mulling over the idea of having her appear in dream sequences and ancient events, I decided the most relevant thing to do was to have her travel with the protagonist.

If only that weren't so awkward…

Now the protagonist has the fantasy equivalent of God and the Devil (although it's worth noting that neither is completely good nor evil) communicating from within her body, and also possessing it when they want to…

And the two also argue. A lot. About the only thing the two can agree on is that they care about her…

If the character were real, she'd probably hate me…

Oh, I should probably include this blog in my works page, in case I have any more writing ramblings (which I know I will).

I probably do that after little more work on the Altar, though…

While I was working on the Altar, I reviewed someone's story… I can't remember the last time I did that… I really need to get into the habit of doing that again…

Okay, so I did some work on the Altar. About 500 words. A little small, but understandable, considering all the work I did yesterday. I posted work in one day yesterday... I haven't done that in years…

As for the Altar itself, I have to dig up my old notes, but for a different reason than I originally intended… The reason is because I forgot I added a flashback scene using my team from the run. It's nothing specific, but I do need to know who was on that team in order to write the scene properly.

Also got through the Pokémon descriptions. Finishing up the introductions and the flashback leads to the infamous death scene. I've always had trouble writing death scenes… I wonder how I will do with this one… I can easily read a character dying, but emotionally, it's tough… It's been a while since I've been attached to these characters though, so maybe it will be easier…

This chapter is turning out to be a bit longer than my other ones… It's a bit worrisome because it is still longer despite my splitting into two chapters... I'm at the point where I can't split it any more, since that would make one of the chapters very short… The last time I wrote something this long, I felt like it wasn't my best… However, that one was a rushed secret Santa Story, and this one still has plenty of time before the two-week deadline (which I set for myself, by the way)… I guess all I can do is see how it goes…

I suppose I should give a bit more description on the story idea hinted at in my gaming posts. Basically, I plan to novelize some of the gaming posts, but have them be a bit different. Some areas, such as fighting, will be more descriptive. Others will switch viewpoints and who does what. The main reason is that the gaming posts themselves will be handled differently and narrated by someone else… I can't say anymore for spoiler reasons… However, I will say it does explain the backstory for one of my characters fairly well…

And I have in fact created an update for my works involving this profile. Hopefully it should be useful to my readers.

Tomorrow, ingredient shopping, and of course, more writing. Maybe writing about ingredients… Who knows?

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**-Quite a few things here. This is the first entry involving writing, appropriately titled Writing: Backstage Pass. The Altar is a Pokémon story based on challenge run called a Nuzlocke that I did in real life. I took notes on that story at the time, but my notes weren't very thorough, which is what I'm referencing here. Right now it's on hiatus, for various reasons that will be explained later on.**

**-The Nuzlocke run is something that was alluded to in the earlier entries, but I may as well explain it here. A Nuzlocke is a type of run usually in done Pokémon. There are several restrictions. The most common three is that everything must be nicknamed, only the first encounter in each area can be caught, and if a Pokémon faints, it cannot be used again. Additional rules, such as limiting healing, can be added to make things even more of a challenge, but I didn't add any rules for the run the Altar is based on.**

**-Lastly, a little bit about what the rest of the post refers to. The characters the rest of the post talks about involve a story called Price of Rebirth. Price of Rebirth was notable for having many fandoms at once, and being one of my very first stories in my early fanfiction days. I even posted a few chapters to some sites long ago. However, I noticed many changes were taking place, and the goddess situation described above was one of them. These changes made the original invalid, so I eventually took it down. **

**Even more interesting, I found out that the character I mentioned actually worked better in an entirely different story and situation. So she got shelved completely, and another character took her place as the main protagonist for Price of Rebirth. However, at the time the blog was written, I was still trying to work with the original protagonist, and although no chapters had been posted, Price of Rebirth was the main story I was working on. **

**So there will be references to this character and that story throughout Scrapbook. I will also try to note the changes that are relevant to modern stories whenever possible.**

**-The novelization of the gaming blog posts reflected what I was originally going to do with this blog. Originally, I thought that the blog could it really be ported directly, I was going to try and novelize some of what I'd written. I was also going to try to do the blog post from the point of view of someone from the old story, Price of Rebirth. **

**However, I ditched the idea because I was having trouble figuring out how to write Price of Rebirth and eventually decided to work on other projects while editing that one. I also realized I didn't know which parts of the blog to novelize, and what to do with the entries that were left. Although, as later entries will show, I had a few ideas. Also, a novelization of some entries still as an idea in some form. However, that will be explained later on, and it's nowhere near as huge as the original idea was going to be.**


	4. July 27, 2017

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! All characters and games are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 27, 2017)**

Just found out some big Fire Emblem: Heroes news. Apparently, tonight there is some sort of stream. And also, it's being played in both Japanese and English, which is unusual. A lot of people are predicting it's the result of the Choose Your Legends poll from the beginning of the game, but I think that might be hard to implement.

Every iteration of someone was counted as a separate being, even if they were the same character. So how would that work in the game? I mean, there's young and old Tiki, but they're fairly easy to keep separate. I'm not sure how they would do something like Ike and Marth, because only a couple of years have passed since their appearances between games…

I'm interested to find out more about it, but I won't hear about it until tonight or tomorrow. Perhaps this is related to the new summoning focus that was promised on Friday…

As usual, Fantasy Life continues to be played. Right now, I still have Odin and the Dragonslayer in my party. However, I'm level 39. I'm ready to do the story quests associated with chapter 4, so I'm headed back to the Dark Sultan's palace. I'd like to speak with Magnificus first, because I heard he unlocks Cacto Cove.

And he still wants to take on the Dark Sultan… Didn't we spend the entirety of last chapter establishing that the Dark Sultan doesn't want to fight? And even so, he would probably win the battle, considering Magnificus is one of the worst allies in the game…

Heh, now I can see Damien beating up Magnificus in combat... What a funny sight… Especially since that's the opposite of Damien's personality… Even funnier that it's possible to have them in the same party fighting alongside each other…

But it looks like the way to the Cove has been opened, so let's explore! I have a couple quests I need to get done there…

Well, it looks like Catco Cove is a giant beach with a bunch of walking cacti… Can't say I expected anything less…

Found some dragonflies and some island honey… One of my quests involves grabbing dragonflies… Some sort of magical ritual… I'm glad they're blue. They're easy to find. I do have to wonder how honey got to the island though… I don't see any bees…

Climbed all the way up a giant cactus, only to find a traveling seller… I didn't buy any of his stuff, although I sold off what I could... It appears that's the end of the Cove, but there's something called the Cave of Shadows. I might as well go there…

So far the enemies are easy... I do have to defeat something called a Starry Catterpillo in order to progress… I haven't found any yet, though…

Looks like the Cave of Shadows doesn't lead anywhere… There's a pretty purple picture of a Triceratops, but nothing else…

It appears the enemies I'm looking for come out at night, so I should rest at my home before continuing. I can at least deliver the dragonflies.

And it's night, and that's all the caterpillars. No harder than any other enemy here. Kind of disappointed… Was hoping there would be more… Oh well, time to turn in my quests and continue with the story…

Next on the list, the Garden of Shadows. If I could remember how to get there…

At last, finally found the place! Got a few new quests while running around lost, so it wasn't a total waste of time…

And that dialogue was definitely worth it! Honestly, the Dark Sultan being afraid of his wife's lectures, and bears, of all things… Interesting that he seems to know where Butterfly comes from…

Last stop, the library. Speaking of libraries, it's been a while since I've been to one… Of course, I really don't need to go now… I've got a Kindle, and the Internet is my library…

I love the scene with Butterfly being loud in the library. That was always me when I was younger... I got so enthusiastic about the books I couldn't help shouting…

Well, it seems this chapter is completed. Let's head back and begin the next one!

So the next chapter begins and I'm alone again. It's the perfect time to level up my shield skill. That way I can equip the Champion's Shield. I have a feeling I'll be needing it…

Looks like we're going to the Elderwood, and Laura's coming with us. This shouldn't take too long…

As expected, things have been relatively uneventful. However, we did pick up a new party member, Leilah. Interested to see how she fights, but she's not likely to get into any fights here.

So this is the Elderwood village… It's beautiful, and the music is soothing… Too bad there's not much to do in it now…

And Butterfly reveals who she really is… Not like I hadn't suspected this from the beginning… Still interesting, though.

And we get a new ally, Pino. Unlike his sister, he actually does some fighting. He fights with a dagger, it seems.

And after that fight, a new person, Yuelia, reveals her motives and the Great Spirit wants to meet us… I have to say I like the dynamic between Yuelia and Noelia… I'm hoping to see more of it…

That will be for next time though.


	5. July 27, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome to another chapter of Scrapbook! See the author's notes below for details. All characters in games are part of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Writing: Backstage Pass**

I can't stop listening to Undertale's The Choice on repeat... That song is just too potent, especially considering the context… It also reminds me of a similar choice that one of my characters has to make… Although in her case, it's whether to live as a new being or to destroy herself… It's especially potent if she chooses to live, despite all that's happened to her (which is effectively what the player character in Undertale does if the good ending is chosen).

I think I've got an idea on how to make the characters she knows appear and finalize her decision as she makes it. They might not know exactly what's going on, but I could still make it work. It would probably be best if the other characters thought of it as a dream sequence, especially seeing that one of them is Valkyrie Profile's Freya (even if she is quite a bit kinder). It also makes sense, considering Freya is the one that brought her into existence as the one she thought she was. Now, Freya's back there again, only this time the protagonist is embracing who she actually is. It's a bit of bookends, honestly.

Now, I just need to get the good ending…

And that requires completing all the games in the Nuzlocke series…

No, I don't think I'll call it that.

They're not Nuzlockes because none of them completely follow the traditional Nuzlocke rules. I only follow some of them.

I think I will call it Semilocke instead. Only part of it is a Nuzlocke, with the other part being rules I made myself. Mainly in order to make the game easier. Semilocke series… That has a nice ring to it…

I also think I'm going to make a new schedule with the runs. It has to do with me being gone more often than I used to be. I think instead of not doing anything with them on the days that I am gone, I will just do one of them, and then something else. Normally, I like to Dualocke, but I don't think it's possible with events and writing. It is possible the days that I'm home more, though.

The exception is if there's things in front of it. Right now there is the Emerald Randomlocke that I need to catch up before Saturday, so that takes priority. I also need to finish up my Living Dex, so I can have everything all set before the new Pokémon games release in November. Once those two things are done, the Nuzlockes (or Semilockes, rather) can continue on all days.

But for now I will need to work on things before that. Like The Altar.

And that's it for The Altar… I think I will split this chapter up again… It's getting a bit too long, and I'm afraid if I continue it much longer, I won't be able to give the death scene the details that it deserves… I only have about one or two more scenes before I get to the scene leading into the death, so I won't have to go much longer. It's about 3800 words now, so the author's note should bring that near my usual 4000.

There's also quite a few OCs introduced here, so I will have to make sure to update and keep track of them…

Speaking of OCs, Toyhouse really needs to be updated… I probably will do that after I publish this chapter… It's so empty right now…

Along with the OCs from the altar, I plan on adding the as of yet unpublished character Psyche, as well as all the characters from my older works. I think it would be useful to hear others' feedback. It would also be useful to have their info in case I want to do anything more with them.

I finally decided which works I want to do as one shots after I finish the Binding of Isaac fan fiction. I really like that game, but I need to get out of there… Writing for it is kind of creepy…

I've decided that after these one shots I will do Imitation. I know it's a remake of a Christmas fan fiction when it's nowhere near Christmas, but it's so funny I just have to do it… Plus it has my favorite Pokémon…

* * *

**Author's notes**

**-So a lot going on here. **

**After I finished the run that the Altar was based on, I eventually started visiting other sites that did the Nuzlocke challenge. It's traditional to do a story alongside a Nuzlocke run, and I was enjoying reading the stories. Therefore, I decided to get back into the Nuzlocke challenge, and do my own stories. I also had a lot of games I wanted to Nuzlocke, and thought I would put them into one big story. Eventually, I decide to tie that in with Price of Rebirth, and do a separate set of runs involving the original protagonist there. Certain choices with his runs would influence the ending received in Price of Rebirth.**

**Needless to say, that turned into a mechanical nightmare, and I eventually grew tired of the Nuzlocke challenge. However, there are Nuzlockes I want to complete, and records for completed ones to exist. Some aspects that were part of the Nuzlockes became parts of other stories, and they are no longer connected to Price of Rebirth. Some of them are no longer even connected to each other. Instead, those that are connected form their own series, so as not to slow anything down or make things confusing. **

**The idea of the protagonist receiving a certain ending depending on how well I did was also scrapped. This was because it was not only difficult to implement, but also since the original protagonist would no longer be used for Price of Rebirth.**

**-The idea of the Semilockes comes from the runs themselves. As mentioned before, I didn't follow some of the traditional Nuzlocke rules in the majority of my runs. The biggest rule I didn't follow was that Pokémon could not be used again if they fainted. Instead, every time I won a major battle without fainting or resetting, I would get the ability to revive a Pokémon as soon as they fainted. So chances to use Pokémon again were limited, but they were there.**

**-Toyhouse is the name of a site I frequented at the time this entry was written. As the eludes it's a site where one can upload, share, and receive feedback on original characters. I was a recent member of the site at the time of this entry, so I was trying to use it as much as I could. Eventually, I abandoned it since I found out there were other sites that did its job better.**

**-Psyche as a character that's actually based off of the very first character OC I had and write fan fiction about. She comes up in a few entries later on, so I will go into detail about her then.**

**-Imitation is the planned remake of a fan fiction I did involving the Pokémon Mimikyu and Christmas. Unfortunately, I was doing for a contest, and the word count was very limited. As a result, a lot of things were rushed, and Internet nearly as well as I had wanted. So I have notes for a rewrite and plan on doing one eventually. However, I have not started this rewrite yet.**


	6. July 27, 2017: Part 3

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 27, 2017: Part 2)**

Back to Fantasy Life. At least for a little while. I know I should be doing Pokémon Emerald, but I'm so close to completing chapter five.

Once I complete chapter five, two chapters left, Origin Island, and then the end…

It will be a bittersweet moment, but I'll save that for the proper time…

Our meeting with the Great Spirit is now.

But first, a look at the shops… I guess someone wants to play Shopkeeper and Shopper. I'll play the part of Window Shopper. I've already got all the furniture, I'm still a bit low on money, and the gear they have doesn't match up to what I currently own.

Oh well, off to the Great Spirit.

And it's a giant bear! I wonder if that's what the Dark Sultan was so afraid of… You know, this actually fits perfectly, considering the bear's role in nature stories… Kind of cool, if a little surprising…

And they mention a goddess called Celestia… I wonder if she's a pony or queen…

Yuelia reveals her origins… Can't say I didn't predict this either… The story is still cute either way…

So creatures of nature don't have their own wishes... Yet many of them are clearly animate and similar to humans… Confusing… Would that mean Yuelia and Noelia don't have wishes either?

And we get to see some of Ophelia. Shame it took so long to see more of her... I would like to learn more about her, and at least learn more about her earlier… A shame she can't join you (at least I don't think), although it is possible to view her stats… I wonder if you can fight her as an optional boss? She is reputed to be very powerful…

And into the Spirit Tree… That background is impressive…

And there is actually a ship in the tree? Who the heck rammed it up there?

And Ophelia convinced her husband to let her out of the castle… Using apple pie? That is funny! I would've thought they would've had a duel or something…

So we're all just going to board this giant ship in the middle of a tree? Does no one question this? Ah, well…

I noticed that the corner Yuelia examines reminds me of a playroom… Maybe she was here when she was younger…

All of a sudden, Erik and Mustang are here too! This must be something big! Apparently, we don't have much time, and they know it…

And King Erik stating that he forgot what a word of praise for his daughter sounded like… Glad someone didn't take that the wrong way…

Poor Yuelia feels guilty about lying to Pam… I remember they talked earlier about siblings in the game… I wonder if Pam found out who Yuelia was…

And it looks like she did… At least Yuelia has nothing to apologize for…

And I get money, along with almost all the game completed!

Aww… Yuelia's conversations with Pam are so sweet… They might be an idea for my next fanfic…

Should I have one where Yuelia and Noelia switch places, or one of them is the main character instead? That would be neat, especially for Yuelia. I might have her become a Creator in every life…

And I have a Bliss Bonus… Time to increase my bag size…

And the game doesn't really tell me where to go next… I will have to look at a guide… But that will be next time.


	7. July 28, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 28, 2017)**

Well, here I am, finally having to do my Pokémon Emerald Randomlocke. It's important that I get all the Surfing sidequests done and get a new Pokémon on my team by tomorrow, so I may as well get to it.

I'm about to clear Route 115, and I acquired a new catch. Let's take a look at it…

So our sleeping beauty is Tower the Weepinbell. Unfortunately, Tower has almost no attacks, and I don't have any Heart Scales to rectify it. And, I also don't have the means to evolve it, and due to items being randomized, I don't know if I ever will. Into the reserves Tower goes… Sad, I really needed a Grass type…

The routes south of Petalburg should provide me plenty of opportunities for a new catch, so that's where I'll head next.

First is 105. Let's see what I get…

Corsola… Into the box it goes…

After an uneventful journey and plenty of weak Swimmers, I make land in Dewford. There's nothing new for me here, so I think I will set sail for Slaport.

Some more easy Swimmers later, and I'm on Route 108. My first encounter is an Onix, but it's only at level 8. I don't think I have the means to evolve it now, but once I do I will most certainly use it. Steelix is one of the best choices I could have right now, even though its pre-evolved form isn't. Right now, that form will stay in reserves. I think Rocky would be good for an Onix, even if it is unoriginal.

And into the Abandoned Ship… This is one place that I liked better in its original incarnation. The remakes unnecessarily toned down the creepiness…

Anyway, let's see if I can get lucky Surfing here…

And that's a level 12 Slowking… Guess I'm only going to have five Pokémon, unless I can evolve that Onix… On a side note, I never knew Rock Tomb could miss as much as it did…

May as well finish exploring the rest of the ship, but I'll do that bit later. Right now I need to prepare for practicing adaptive cooking.

Just got done practicing adaptive cooking. Recipe didn't turn out the way I wanted to, but that's not important now. Back to Pokémon Emerald.

Still in the Abandoned Ship after my subpar catch. Let's see if there's anything else here.

Nothing really, except for a few measly trainers... Also found Conversion 2, one of the most bizarre choices for TMs I've ever seen… Taught it to my Arbok. Considering Poison doesn't resist much, it's the Pokémon that would benefit the most from having its Type changed.

Also, key items are not randomized, so the ship is still able to be completed.

Better get going to Slateport. There's a bit more I have to do before I'm caught up.

My Pokémon are injured and I got a bunch of horrible catches, but at least I made it to Slateport... Most interesting thing that happened was someone with a Zapdos that would not stop using Agility, and a Flygon that injured my Relicanth. Oh, and a duo of trainers using a Fearow and a Wobbuffet… Said Wobbuffet had the misfortune of being sent out against my Duskull…

Almost done... Off to the Trick House, and lastly, the desert. Trick House first, though.

And I'm in the Rock Smash puzzle with the bars. So annoying… Once again, I'm kind of glad this got toned down in the remakes…

Oh, the Strength puzzle… I haven't taught anyone Strength, so Soy, my Miltank gets it now.

The Strength puzzle falls easily and I head for my last destination.

Thankfully, it's just north of Mauville, the city that I need to end up at.

The desert I enter is sandy, but I have a defense. Nemo, my Relicanth, won't take damage from the sandstorm. Now to let it go to town…

I already got my fossil, but the real treasure here is still to come. Sketch's now a TM, which means that any of my Pokémon can learn any move once. I quickly teach it to my Duskull. It's in need of moves, but most likely to survive.

On the way back, I hit Fiery Path. Turns out Recover's a TM, too. Another useful ability, but I will hang onto it for now.

Finally, I am caught up and head back to Mauville. That's all I can do for now. Perhaps tomorrow I will find a good catch, have a full team, and no more allies will die.


	8. July 28, 2017: Part 2

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 28, 2017)**

So I am back with another segment of Fantasy Life. Was going to post another writing part, but between preparing for the Emerald Nuzlocke event tomorrow and cooking earlier today, time got away from me.

However, I did manage to do some fairly detailed notes, so I will combine what I did today with whatever work I do next time (probably tomorrow, although I don't know how busy my weekend is)

Speaking of busy, this will probably be the last time I play Fantasy Life for a while, if I don't finish it today. The reason being is that tomorrow the Nuzlocke/Semilocke runs will start back up, since there is nothing in front of them. These runs tend to be longer, so they will probably take up my time.

But enough about that, I have a world to save!

So it seems what I need to do is fulfill the Bliss requests like normal, and the next chapter will open up. I do want to fulfill some of them, because I need a shopping upgrade to get better gear at the next area. However, I also want to use them to level my shield, because I never got to do that before. I'm going to do that before I get my party together.

And with that, I have the Captain's Shield. It should give a much-needed boost to my defense… Now to find party members.

Odin and Dragonslayer are recruited back and in the party again, and now I can start taking requests. I think I'll just do them in order. First up, the Deep Elderwood…

And seems I have to talk to Pino again. At least he's friendlier with me now… He's attending the summit in place of the Great Spirit. Not hard to imagine why… I mean, how would one accommodate a giant bear?

Aww… That conversation was so sweet, about Pino trying to overcome his fear of humans, which is based on only the bad things he saw… Of course, these are all events that took place during the game, and my party fixed them up. I wonder how Pino would react if he was there during the times the events were fixed?

And Pino can now join our party! Too bad I won't be using him. There are better allies, unfortunately.

Looks like I can buy a home here… That might not be a bad idea, except I don't have the money right now. I can easily earn it, though.

And now, off to see Leilah.

And she is dating… Pierre? That's nothing if not amusing…

Well, her wish is to meet other humans, and it seems we can grant it! Except we really can't, because she's not coming with me, but it's the thought that counts!

Well, it seems we have to talk to the Great Spirit again. And it seems she wants see Yuelia's true form… Of course, she obliges. It's interesting how the Great Spirit knows Celestia… I wonder if we'll ever meet her…

The Great Spirit's wish is so cute… All that power, and she only wished for a friend…

And we are off to see Pierre and Butch. Interesting what a hard worker Pierre is… I wonder if he is doing it to impress Leilah…

And he is. It's nice that he finally gets a happy ending…

I finally get my Bliss Bonus as I head towards Castale. More shopping for me!

And we have to talk to Ophelia. I wonder if I get some more information about her, like I was hoping…

Well, we are getting some interesting information about the Elderwood… I wonder if the darkness refers to The Void... That's one place mentioned in my quest that I've yet to go…

I guess I'll find out about it more, as the next chapter begins…

The dynamic between Odin and Mustang is hilarious… They are complete opposites…

And I get to hear more about the backstory of the gods… It's interesting, and the seriousness is done well, even if the story is lighthearted. The more I play this game, the more I feel like Yuelia should have been the main character… How would she hide her who she was, though?

And I'm surprised she was direct about her mission. Why did she think the player character would believe her? Maybe it's just naïveté…

Seems we have to head to a place called Terra Nimbus… Let's go flying!

Sounds like the place is intimidating, but I have to find it! After all, I've heard there's very good equipment there.

But that will be for next time.


	9. July 28, 2017: Part 3

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**Writing: Backstage Pass (July 28, 2017)**

So as promised, another writing update. This one turned out to be long, so it's not a combination, but rather, just what I did yesterday.

While I did not post anything for writing yesterday, I was, in fact, busy. Did some mobile notes for one of my stories, The Price of Rebirth. The Price of Rebirth is actually the reboot of a story I'd written many years ago, and kept refining and changing. The first two parts, Soul of Solitude, and Strength of the Heart were published years ago, but were taken down in order to change things that no longer worked.

I still don't know when they will be back up, but I'm slowly gathering more information. I should have enough to publish at least one arc soon, but I'm having difficulties with the second arc onward… I really need to make a list of what I need to do…

Some of the information involves much later arcs. For example, I need a way for the protagonist to leave her home without legal repercussions after a certain point. I thought of a way that this could happen, combined with information used previously. However, it would be rather dark. The story itself is also dark, so it might still work.

The fate of her homeland is also up in the air. Either way, she never returns to it, but whether the homeland is given a happy or sad outcome remains to be seen. This also changes one character's purpose in the story, because if the sad outcome is picked, the protagonist will have no successor. Such character was to, among other things, serve as the protagonist's successor by going back to her homeland to in her place. But if the sad ending is picked, there will be no homeland to return to…

I may decide to wait until the introductory arc is ready to be written, and decide how much attachment I have to the characters. If there is a strong attachment, I will keep them alive, and the homeland will be saved. Otherwise, it will be left in ruins.

Ah, but that's a different project, separate from The Altar. Speaking of the Altar, some development was made on it, although not directly. The development has to do with these very blog posts. I've decided what I want to do with all of them.

The first thing I need to do is create at least 30 unique gaming blog posts. After this, they can be put into a story in the form of a novel's scene. The story takes place in the same continuity as The Altar. However, it serves as a sequel to everything but the last scene, explaining why the protagonist does what she does in the Semilockes, as well as giving a bit more insight into who she is. The story will be called Journey.

Since I will be working on the Semilocke series while doing this preparation, they will inevitably make their way into the blog posts. I plan on having those parts be a dream sequence, and the protagonist never truly figures out what they are.

Of course, I will keep doing blog posts while Journey is completed. I have not decided I will do with the blog posts that do not make their way into Journey. I'm also not sure what I will do with blog posts that may not fit the story's theme (such as using a more mature games like Binding of Isaac). I'm certain they will be used for something though.

One last story that popped into my head had to do with a little-known character called Kyra. Kyra is from the Japanese game Gloria Union. Kyra is a unique character within the game, and the entire series which xe is a part of. It's this uniqueness that makes me want to do a character study on xir. However, I don't know any of the specifics, except for one thing; xir gender. No one is entirely sure what gender Kyra is. Xe never specifies, and the game acts like xe's _both _(in a game where combat range is determined by gender, Kyra has both male and female ranges simultaneously).

However, for this fan fiction, Kyra will be female. Supplementary material for the games vaguely implies she is female, and it will be easier for me to write her that way (mainly because I don't have any experience with non-binary genders, and would rather not risk portraying them incorrectly). As for the male and female ranges, they will be kept, but put into other parts of Kyra's character. For example, Kyra is revealed to be centuries old and well-versed in a lot of things that make up the game canon. It's not unbelievable for her to have picked up male combat techniques simply from being around combat for so long…

Finally, I have decided in the Price of Rebirth, one of the characters names may be changed from Beatrine to Beatrice. The characters game was never released in Japan, so Beatrine was what fans went with. Unfortunately, the name is rather awkward, and someone mentioned that her name may actually be Beatrice. Furthermore, this is most likely what the name would've been localized to if the game and made outside of Japan. So far, there's no characters named Beatrice in the story, so the name change doesn't conflict with anyone else.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So more detail on what I mentioned in previous author's notes. Mainly about the history of Price of Rebirth at that point, and about what I was thinking of doing with the blog before I did a direct port.**

**-Also were knowing that the gender-neutral pronouns with Kyra are intentional, because that's what most of the fandom uses to refer to that character. I usually use female pronouns, because of the hints the game gives that I mentioned in the entry itself. Kyra's still one of my favorite characters, so I still want to write something about her. But I haven't written anything yet.**


	10. July 29, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 29, 2017)**

Well, I just got done with today's Emerald Randomlocke event. I finally got a new team member, and found that there was a speedup button for grinding… Would had helped me to know that yesterday when I was doing all the catching up… I will probably record some of my grinding adventures on here, but not today.

Instead, there is another game I want to do as the Nuzlocke/Semilocke runs begin again. This is a game I've talked about many times before, but never in detail. This game is Fire Emblem: Heroes.

There was a major update for the game recently, but there's one particular thing that has me interested. There's a new paralogue, or side mission, that involves a bunch of characters going to the beach. I've yet to play this side mission, so I'd like to do so here. I need to do it with two different teams. One is the team I use to get as much as I can throughout the game. The other, is the team used in the Nuzlocke.

So I shall begin, with the first team. This team consists of wyvern rider Cherche, thief Gaius, mounted knight Eliwood, and blue mage Odin. Everyone is at maximum level and rarity (gold), with the exception of Cherche. She's at maximum level, but is only silver (4*). I can promote her, but I'm waiting for a time when I won't be stuck training. Perhaps I will do it after a try at the arena…

For now, though, the mission.

The enemies seem to be much weaker than me, so I will just let my units tear through them with auto battle… At least I get orbs as payout…

And Anna still wanted to take pictures… Will she ever learn?

Xander has a flotation device in the form of Lilith… It's hilarious because it looks like a giant shark… That, and Lilith is supposed to be a dragon…

Anyway, looks like I have to fight him, so let's get to it.

Didn't use auto-battle this time due to it being a timed mission (five turns to win). Didn't really matter anyway, though…

And the last battle… Still another easy one with auto-battle though…

And Anna has not changed… At least it made for some hilarity...

Now for the Nuzlocke team…

There are a few key differences from the Nuzlocke team versus the regular one. One is that there are different people. Another is that if they don't have any revival chances (which they don't), characters who fall in battle die forever. The last thing is that if they clear certain maps, the team has a chance to randomly recruit someone. One of these recruitments will happen now.

The Nuzlocke team consists of axes user Raven, green mage Merric, swordsman Lloyd, and blue manakete Nowi. The team is levels 27-29, with three out of four being silver. Nowi is gold. Unlike the regular team, the Nuzlockers can't use auto battle, so this will take a bit longer.

However, the battles are still easy.

And I recruit Chrom… He's got some good skills, but is also a swordsman. I really don't need more of those right now. Not to mention that is good skills don't come until his rarity is five (gold). Seeing as I don't have a way to earn massive amounts of Hero Feathers, he probably won't get to that level…

And I just now realized that Xander has the title "student swimmer" and Leo has a tomato tone. This is funny, considering the former can't swim and the latter hates tomatoes…

Anyway, the paralogue goes down without trouble, which means that Fire Emblem: Heroes goes away for a while, at least until there's new content (or interesting side fights).

As for me, I think I will post a writing entry, especially involving the things I did yesterday... Then again, I know another part of the Semilockes that's just dying for an update…


	11. July 29, 2017: Part 2

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**Writing: Backstage Pass (July 29, 2017)**

Well, after going over the place yesterday, I'm deciding to stick with the Altar today. However, I'm not sure I'm satisfied with how it's going. Things are proving to be a lot longer than that were initially, and the story itself a lot darker. I don't think it's enough to be considered Dark Fic, though.

Perhaps I should take a longer break to work on something else (something lighthearted, like Imitation, could be one). The Altar is also one of the few multi-chapter fics that did not have much notes before I started. That may be where some of the problem is…

Of course, working on another mutichapter fic could also help. Psyche's story needs writing after all. Even some of the notes for Price of Rebirth might help… At least to get that story out of the mess it's in…

I guess I'll decide after I'm done writing it now. Right now I'm writing a chapter called Flashback, but the flashbacks are more like delusions… I can't title a chapter Delusions though… That's just mean…

So I have completed my work on the Altar for today. Chapter 3 is nearly done. I was hoping to get it done today, but I went to go see a movie (Dunkirk) and didn't get home until late. However, final details, author's notes, note removal and final editing should come tomorrow.

As for the Altar itself, I'm planning on at least sticking with it until and until chapter 4. The reason is chapter 4 is the last chapter I have detailed notes for (and even then, those aren't complete). It's also one the first death scene occurs, and the first scene that is directly pulled from the Platinum run. After that, I can take a step back, plan out notes for the next few parts, and decide where I want to go with it. I should have a fair amount of characters posted by then as well, so I can get feedback on them.

Psyche should also be posted and finished as well by that time, so I can start her story if need be. The rest of the Binding of Isaac one shots should come in between chapter 3 and chapter 4. There are only two left and they are fairly short, so they should be done quickly. I probably won't get into the fandom any more than this, but that may change if I get my hands on the actual game.

Speaking of characters, characters will be uploaded to Toyhouse after chapter 3. There is also one character I'd like to upload, but I am unsure about uploading her. The reason being is that she contains major spoilers for the Price of Rebirth, being one of the main villains for the entire series. However, she's not meant to be really revealed is that until much later, since her true identity is unknown and she spends a lot of time pretending to be the protagonist. I also don't have info on some of her history. On the other hand, her villainy is almost cartoonish, and is seen as immature. That may invoke the power of catharsis, however, because having almost no redeeming traits makes her worth taking down.

Finally, an update on Kyra. Unfortunately, I don't think a character study on her is going to work, because some of her backstory is missing. In particular, she tells the heroes about the history of the world, but said history has never been translated (not even in copies of the game's script or fan translations). I could just do an AU (Kyra being female almost certainly makes story an AU anyway), with me filling in her history based on what I think would work (e.g. the Empire falling because of reasons similar to Atlantis, which it's based off of). I also already have an AU with the Empire never falling and Kyra being its leader, so I may use that (this is in Price of Rebirth, however). Of course, I could also do something based on what is known about Kyra (such as the fact that she's the creator of Lulu, and the cheater cards), and possibly have the story being more about those things. Unfortunately, I will need to do more research before I can write anything.


	12. July 30, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer: July 30, 2017**

Yesterday, I started doing the Semilocke series again, and today I will continue it. One of today's entries is another game that I've often talked about, but never shown. The game of this day is Flight Rising. Flight Rising is a game where people can breed dragons, buy and sell them from others, and fight with them. It's even possible to play minigames with other dragons, initiate item trades, and use a message board system to talk to other players.

Flight Rising is however, noticeably different from any other games I have played or am playing. One difference is its sheer length. My current Semilocke is almost 130 hours long, and I'm only a little more than halfway through the game. For comparison, my longest Nuzlocke before that was the original Pokémon Stadium, which _ended_ at around 130 hours. It's worth noting that many of these hours in Flight Rising are dedicated to training, because the game's leveling system is very slow.

Another is the format of Flight Rising. Flight Rising is a Mass Multiplayer Online Game (or, MMO). The game itself is free to play, but one can only sign up during certain intervals. After that, the account is maintained forever without any fees. Only one account per player is allowed. There is also a premium currency that can be purchased using real money, but there's enough of a market where player can still play without using it, and do reasonably well. It's also possible to get the premium currency from sales and certain events. I currently have not bought anything for the game, and do not plan to.

The fact that the game is played online brings with it certain limitations. For example, disconnections and other glitches are common. It also, unfortunately, uses up my limited Internet, so there are times when my account goes into stasis. When this happens, I don't do anything on my account other than the basic things required to maintain it, in order to conserve Internet usage. The game then comes up sometime during the next month. Right now, this entry will be the last before my account goes into stasis. However, it will come back up in about two weeks.

The game, unlike some others, encourages the player to play every day. It monitors the player's dragons using a food system, and subtracts energy for every day that goes by. When dragons run out of energy, they are unable to do much of anything, until they're fed again. Players are encouraged to find food as often as they can, store it, and feed their dragons. The game does this by awarding bonuses to dragons who are constantly well fed, and having achievements tied to how much food one finds.

Flight Rising, unlike many of my other games, moves in real time. As result, there are limits on what I can do per day, and what I can do per session. For example, it is encouraged to gather food, but food gathering can only take place once per day. Certain things, like crafting items, can take place only after real life hours have passed. Sometimes, things take days. Marketplace items only have a certain amount of time in which they are available, and can expire if a player waits too long.

Flight Rising's status as an MMO means it has no set endpoint. However, that does not stop players from creating endpoints for themselves. In my case, my Semilocke ends when I've gone through all available areas to fight in from start to finish (the finish, once again, is something I've created for myself). There is a limited amount of dragons I can use to accomplish this, and dragons used for other purposes cannot be used for this one. Therefore, I have a separate goal using the dragons I have not gathered for the Semilocke. These dragons are to complete the game's achievement system.

Finally, unlike other Semilockes, Flight Rising relies heavily on a dice roll. The reason being is that the game normally has no randomization, but randomization is required for a Nuzlocke/Semilocke. So I use a dice roll to things like determine how many battles I will fight, what kind of battles I will fight, and what type of dragon I will get after I win.

Right now, I am about to embark on a dragon fight. Dragon fights are named after the feature that allows one to battle other players and their dragons. However, hardly anyone uses it. Instead, I fight regular enemies, but I can't run, and I must fight until I can't anymore. I am allowed to stop only in between battles, using the command that takes me back to the main menu. I must finish battles even if someone dies during one and running from a battle instantly kills my entire team. However, completing one of these battles without anyone dying gives me a chance to revive anyone who has died as soon as they die. It also gives me a chance to buy another dragon.

So off I head to my dragon battle, in the game's coliseum. Each coliseum area has a minimum level that dragons are recommended to be at. Right now, I'm one level below the minimum. The place I'm going, The Arena, has a minimum level of 17. My battle dragons are all level 16. They consist of a water mage named Redshoulder, a wind physical attacker named Tarkin, and a plague physical attacker named Cinderknight.

With that, I head into the Arena. I have a lot of revival chances stored up, so no one should die. Some of the enemies have elements my dragons are weak to, but they are often weak to mine. The enemies do good damage, but I can do good damage back. Any damage is healed by the potions. Redshoulder is also good at crippling their offense, making sure they don't do as much damage in the first place. The enemies dodge my attacks a lot, but it still looks like this will be an easy win.

Until I encounter a boss.

Boss battles often appear in the game's second half. Bosses are much more difficult and much stronger than regular monsters. Unlike the regular monsters, who attack in groups, bosses always are alone. This particular boss is one I'm been dreading, because it uses the element of light. Two of my dragons are weak to light. This means I will need to heal constantly because they will take massive damage. Unfortunately, I had entered the battle low on potions, and they will probably get even lower. To make matters worse, my dragons are doing barely any damage, and the boss's doing quite a lot.

Miraculously, I win the battle without anyone dying, but I know I won't survive another encounter. Therefore, I decide to head back and buy my dragon. The die has given me a male Wildclaw. Wildclaws are known for being excellent fighters, and have better physical attack than other dragons. Unfortunately, they are expensive to buy, and take a long time to breed. I will have to be careful with the one I get.

Eventually, after looking around, I settle on a black and red dragon with no name. I quickly start to go through the game's list of random names, finally settling on Thunderheart. How odd, that I should name the dragon Thunderheart when his element is shadow… Perhaps I will make up a story of his ancestors or immediate family being lightning element…

Nevertheless, Thunderheart is now comfortably alongside my other dragons, and my session is done. Unfortunately, the fights left me without a lot of money, and it will take me a while to earn it back. However, I can do that while my account is in stasis, and it shouldn't use up much of my Internet. There's not much more can do, so it's not worth keeping the account active.

So the stasis now begins, and I begin to prepare for the next time I will train my dragons. Next time, I should have money, and a plethora of new foes to fight…

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**Author's notes:**

**-So the first entry involving Flight Rising! There are quite a few updates here though.**

**-One of which is that Flight Rising's account process is now open to all players at any time. The other is that I now have a new type of Internet, and that Internet is not subject to data restrictions. Furthermore, it runs the game a lot more smoothly, such as lack of issues with glitches and slowdowns. However, all the blog posts about flight rising are from before that time, so those two things will be mentioned.**


	13. July 30, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies. Also, see the author's notes for details.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 30, 2017)**

Looks like I'll be doing some Fantasy Life after all… At least until my writing muse comes back…

Then, after that, continue with the Semilockes… I have an idea for a new one…

Anyway, it looks like I'm in the middle of chapter 6, and I need to return to the Great Hall. I'd better do that…

Seems I have to go to Port Puerto to find a pilot named Robin. Good thing I bought the Holiday Home…

And it looks like I have to talk to someone named Crankshaft first… Also looks like Crankshaft is an alcoholic... That's actually surprising, seeing as the story is so lighthearted… At least the story doesn't go into detail…

Anyway, Crankshaft's daughter, Aurora, gives me Robin's location. I've no choice but to head there.

And once again I'm loving the interaction between the two sisters… It seems as though they have the same goal, but different ways to accomplish it. And they will finally work together…

Also I hear more about the sisters' mother... Including the fact that she might've lived on where I am going… I'm really interested in finding out more…

The group is talking about leaving, and all the sudden Aurora disappears… I wonder where she went... I have to go find her…

And I hear more about the lost friend, Larkin, as well as how Crankshaft reacted… Apparently, Yuelia convinces Aurora to give her the family keepsake… I'm surprised she trusted her… They barely know each other…

Anyway, off to find Crankshaft again…

And the keepsake seems to cheer him up enough to help the airship fly… Considering his history, I'm not sure that's a good thing… At least I'll get the story going, and he's not the one driving…

And we finally get to go to Terra Nimbus!

Well, hopefully, seeing as the airship plummeted to the ground… And right when Noelia says that's how she got to Riviera… And it's funny how Noelia is the one screaming…

So it seems I am now in a giant jungle… Yuelia is gone, but Robin joins the party.

And that was a creepy looking Plusling… Guess I better follow it…

Lo and behold, we are in Terra Nimbus! And who better to greet us then Larkin himself!

Looks like Larkin was presumed dead, but landed here instead… That would be why everyone was acting strange…

It also seems the airship is okay, but needs more floatstones to fly…

But wait, there's more! Apparently, someone used to live in a shack here… I wonder if I can find out who it was…

I will do that a while later, though… For now, my writing muse has returned…

And my writing muse been satisfied. Now, to satisfy the Semilocke muse by making a new one… Pokémon Gold, combining Lost Silver and Spyro, along with Griselda from Odin Sphere. This should be one of the shorter ones, especially since the Pokedex is not being completed.

Managed to play a little bit. Shame I had to play at night, but I will have to do so for the first few days until I get Gastly. Picked Cydaquil because I already picked Totodile in my last Gen II Semilocke. The less said about picking Chikorita, the better. Had to use a bizarre naming system, because I found out the older games do not let the player use numbers. Was planning on using numbers for the different incarnations, including Bonds Retested. Instead I had to resort to a bizarre naming system, such as Re for Bonds Retested, and O for original.

Also, my first Pokemon was a male, and therefore was named Spyro… I thought it would've been cool to start with Psyche, but it was not to be… Oh well, Hoothoot makes more sense with Psyche anyway, because she's fast and loves to fly.

Speaking of Spyro, I almost lost my first battle with him. I wonder if I would've put that into the story or not… I only won because of a berry and a potion…

Speaking of Psyche as well, I wonder how the rule with her and Griselda is going to work out (with them always being in my party). It could lead to illegal catches, and two thirds of my team are predestined. The name rater may also get some work. I could also do a catch for either of them, and then not use it. Or I could just treat it like the story catches I've done in other runs. I have to see how the rule will work.

Also, I forgot Jigglypuff appear and was disappointed when I couldn't catch one... I would've loved to have one early, just like the old days… Unfortunately, that was not to be…

Unless I make it a story catch, which I might. It seems like a perfect role for Elora… But they do appear later, so I may just wait. Not to mention that Jigglypuff is hard to train in the early games.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So more about the mysterious Psyche. Psyche is the main protagonist in a Spyro alternate universe story plan doing called Bonds Retested. This story was named so because Psyche was the oldest OC I created, being my very first one. Her original story was called Dragon Bonds, and emphasized her trying to form relationships with other people after living alone for a long time left her jaded and reproachful. It's still a major theme in Bonds Retested, but not to the extent that it was in her original story.**

**-Griselda is a canon character from Odin Sphere, and there actually was a rule in the Nuzlocke to keep both her and Psyche alive and in my party at all times (although they could be represented by different Pokémon, and more than one Pokémon at a time). The reason is that Griselda is looking for her missing sister Gwendolyn (also a canon character in Odin Sphere). She receives hints that Gwendolyn's disappearance may be linked to the same place the Spyro characters find themselves in, and follows the trail. When she finds the group, she joins up with them, becoming good friends with Psyche. **

**-Completing the Nuzlocke allows the Spyro characters to go back to their homelands, as well as aid others who have also become Nuzlocke survivors. Griselda, however, sees yet another path, and realizes that this path is also on the trail of her sister Gwendolyn. So she heads there instead. Psyche has a natural desire to protect, and decides she can't leave Griselda alone to fend off whatever's on the path by herself. So she waits until all the others have gone into their homes, then follows Griselda. **

**The result is the two working together in the mysterious White City in order to find Gwendolyn. Gameplay wise, this means clearing Pokémon Stadium 2 in its entirety. However, I decide not to use the storyline for a few reasons. One is that Pokémon Stadium 2 worked much better with another character, one seen in the current series Traveler. The other has to do with the way the Spyro games work.**

**-There are two continuities in Spyro (technically three, but people usually place that continuity in its own community). One is a continuity beginning with the three Spyro games made by a company called Insomniac, and eventually featured more games made by other companies. The other is a much darker continuity made by company called Activision. Psyche was originally going to feature in both continuities, and in all games. **

**However, this idea did not work because I realized I couldn't put her in the darker continuity without changing a lot of things, and bending more rules and canon than I would've liked. Furthermore, it would have been difficult to write, because the Spyro the Dragon series has around 20 games in total (and this isn't even counting the third continuity I mentioned before). There would've had to been one book for each game, which meant I would've been writing a long time, and the characters in the lore could only develop so much. **

**So I chose to stick with the first three games of the series, along with having a fourth book where Psyche tries to fix things in her original homeland, since said homeland was not present in any game. This was much more manageable, and so did the character much better. As of this writing, a remake for the first three games is in development. It is unknown at this point whether Psyche's story will use this remake or not, or just elements of it.**

**-Therefore, the issues of the naming system that I'm referring to has to do with the different continuities. There's at least three different continuities in the Nuzlocke, and as I continue, there are even more. Therefore, I needed a way to distinguish which character came from which continuity. I was a originally planning on using numbers and notes that I had made, but I found out that Pokémon Gold does not allow numbers in Pokémon nicknames. So instead I put letters after each character's name whenever possible, with the letters being a shortened version of what continuity they came from.**


	14. July 30, 2017: Part 3

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies. Also, see the author's notes for details.**

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**Writing: Backstage Pass (July 30, 2017)**

Back at the Altar, about to finish up chapter 3. Also have some ideas about Psyche's role in the Semilocke series, and may start her game later tonight (well, the first one, she has two other than the final). Speaking of Semilockes I badly need to finish up the notes for those, especially on Psyche's… But enough about that. I should continue on with the Altar. I will save the Semilockes for after.

The third chapter of the Altar is finished and posted on relevant sites. It's the second longest work I've done, at almost 5000 words. I'm not sure how I feel about all the splitting up I've been doing, but at least it got done. In the end, it was the right decision. Now to take a break from it before doing chapter 4. Chapter 4 is still the chapter that will be the decision for longer hiatuses. Luckily, it should be shorter…

I'm also thinking of porting it over to the Nuzlocke Fourms, provided they don't use HTML. I may need to break up the run into smaller parts though, because I don't know what the limits on the site are.

The run is a tribute to a Nuzlocke, so I feel like it fits. However, I wouldn't be sure to put it, because it's not the entire run, only snippets of it. I will have to take a look at the site again before I post.

Speaking of Nuzlockes, the next Semilocke is underway. This one uses the Spyro series, but there are a few issues with it.

For one, I was hoping that Psyche would be the fire starter, but that instead went to Spyro. I wanted Psyche to be the fire starter so that she could re-familiarize herself with traditional dragon fighting techniques (fire breathing and physical attacks, both of which the fire starter has). However, that was not the case. Psyche is unlikely to see use of her original element, because ice appears late in the game. Right now, she's relying on flight but I don't know how long that will last. I eventually intend for her to get magic, but that's a long ways away. And I don't know if the Pokémon she is will hold out until then…

I'm also unsure when Psyche will learn of what's actually happening when others die. I eventually do intend to have her learn that the protagonist from Price of Rebirth is keeping them safe and reviving them, but the question is when. Do it too early, and the deaths lose meaning. Do it too late, and she'll be too consumed by grief to care…

Another thing would be that Psyche and probably Griselda will switch powers. Psyche may replace others and herself when they become too weak, gaining the powers of a new creature in the process. That would also keep Psyche relevant while at the same time making sure the powers eventually match her character (e.g. having a Pokémon that can use special attacks early, so Psyche can use her magic, as opposed to waiting until later). It also makes it easier to follow the rule of always keeping her in the party. It also may help for her to be something like Dratini, which would give her access to magic, power, flight, and physical attacks.

There are a couple problems with this though. For one, it makes no sense for Psyche to suddenly decide to not use a power when she has gained it. Furthermore, Psyche never switched attacks in her own mythos, while Spyro did. The first issue can easily be solved by earlier attacks no longer working, but I am unsure about the second.

There's the problem of what Elora's going to be as well. The closest Pokémon for her is Vulpix but that Pokémon does not appear in Pokémon Gold…

Finally, a problem I had was making a character appear too early. I caught a poison type and decided to name it Cynder, just to mess with Psyche. In Psyche's story, Cynder is supposed to be dead and Psyche is seeing her ghost. The problem is this reveal is not supposed to happen until later. I doubt Psyche can keep it secret, and the others would notice if she's acting skittish. On top of that, revealing the ghosts right there and now reveals a huge story issue. So I'm going to wait and have more ideas before I decide what to do.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So a bit more on Psyche, and a bit of the problems I had tried to make her fit into every game in the Spyro series. It's worth noting that Psyche originally wielded ice powers because they were one of the few elements present in every continuity. However, the most commonly seen powers in the Spyro series include fire and physical moves, which is why re-familiarizing herself with them would've been a big part of Psyche's story. Psyche gains the power of magic, but loses her ice powers for plot reasons. This all takes place many years before her own story begins, and is one of the reasons why she stands out amongst other characters. However, since Pokémon doesn't follow the same mechanics, it would have been easy for Psyche to get her ice powers back, or use them alongside her magical powers.**

**-Also, in the original draft of the Nuzlocke, Psyche and the protagonist of Price of Rebirth were supposed to meet each other. They would share information, and eventually team up to help everyone fight through the overarching conflict that connected both stories. The storyline was not used for two reasons. **

**One of which was that Price of Rebirth ended up having a very different protagonist than the one in the original drafts. The other was that the Nuzlockes were no longer connected to Price of Rebirth. This was mainly because, although an interesting story was developed for the two, it would be difficult to write because it would spoil each other. It would also be difficult to perform mechanically, because one story would not be able to progress until the other had reached a certain point. And for one of them, Price of Rebirth, that was near the end, with several major plot points being revealed. This would take a lot of impact out of many of plot twists and compromise much of both stories, so this idea was scrapped.**


	15. July 31, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (July 31, 2017)**

Continuing on with the Semilockes… This time, with a completely different series. This series is called Valkyrie Profile. I'm not too big a fan of the first and third games, but the second is one of my favorite games of all time… I have to get through the first and third though… The fourth I don't own, and seeing as it was never released in my region, I probably never will own it… But enough about that. This game needs completing.

Right now I'm tearing through enemies with overpowered equipment from a previous playthrough, but as I approach the second third of the game, I wonder how long that will last…

So I just completed a session of Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, and a few things happened in this time. An entire chapter was completed, as expected, because it is such a short game.

So I made my Plume sacrifice against Natalia this chapter, and it's now an easy win. Paralyzing almost all enemies is just too good of a skill to pass up, even if it's something I already have… I also like Cheripha's sacrifice scene. It's plenty sad, but doesn't go overboard…

It's also a shame I don't get to use the Plume in the game at all after this… It's an interesting mechanic, to be sure…

So everything dies to Cheripha, Natalia's rebellion is put down, and I easily win the fight. However, seeing the ending makes me realize that no one gets a happy ending no matter what the player does. The closest would probably be Wylfred in the A Ending, but he still loses everything he has… Lenneth might also count in the A Ending, but what happens to her leads into the first game, and considering what takes place there, it's still not a good outcome… And that's not even getting into the final acts of the second, where she has it even worse…

I suppose the lack of happy endings for the characters is to be expected. This game is a prequel to both of other games (not counting the fourth, which is a prequel to everything else), and sets itself up for the tragedies that go on there… But still, I'd love seeing everyone get a happy ending, even if it's not canon…

Also, a scene with Freya and Frei in Asgard. Talk about a shame… This is only one of two appearances Frei has in the entire game. It's a shame because her backstory gives her the potential to be an interesting character, but it's never explored…

Anyway, on to Chapter 3.

A bunch of easy battles, but still a bit of a problem. Darius throws foes up, but often times his second attack doesn't connect. He also has a chance of screwing everyone else up… It's possible to get around this by waiting before his second attack, or catching larger foes with the tip of his blade. Still, it's hard to time…

On the other hand, I've discover a new party combo. Two Sorcerers are very powerful together. This is because a lot of enemies don't do well against magic, even if they resist it. Too bad Rosea doesn't stay in the party… I have to hope that the person that joins in her place does as well with Lockswell as she did…

A couple hours later, and time for another Semilocke. This one being Pokémon Gold.

And some more catches, such as Bellsprout, Gastly, and… Dunsparce?

Well, Dunsparce is one in a million find, so I got pretty lucky. On the other hand, it's pretty bad in battle and gets put away as soon as Gastly joins the team…

It does not help that Gastly is Griselda, one of the people I'm required to keep my team…

Dunsparce may usually be bad in battle, but for now, it shows its strength. It's at a good level, and Rage isn't a bad move at this point. I try to weaken it with Rattata's Quick Attack, but it's near the yellow and I'm afraid of killing it. I switch out for my Cyndaquil to try to weaken it without killing it, but by then Rage has activated its attack boost… To make matters worse, it starts breaking out of Poké Balls and continues to weaken my team... I have to eventually switch out for Spinarak, because Cyndaquil is in the yellow…

Only for Spinarak to get in the yellow, too.

With one last effort, I hurl a Poké Ball. I don't have enough revival chances to revive anyone if they are killed…

Luckily, the Pokémon is caught.

But I still have to progress to Violet. Luckily, my Rattata is strong enough to keep going…

I finally reach Violet City, and by extension, Sprout Tower.

I don't have much against Gastly, but Spinarak's Poison Sting is enough to whittle them down for an easy catch…

But training is not so easy…

Griselda, the new Gastly, can only damage others of her kind. On top of that, they are all weak to each other…

Thankfully, Semilockes don't count fainting when training, because Griselda fainted twice…

Not to mention there were many close calls, including having only five HP (out of about 20) and paralyzed, only winning because the opponent tried to put her to sleep… Gastly give a lot of experience though, so Griselda quickly catches up to the others…

Next time, there will be more training, because two of the new recruits aren't yet leveled up…


	16. July 31, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies. See the author's notes for more details.**

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**Writing: Backstage Pass (July 31, 2017)**

So here I am with more writing notes. Quite a lot to update on, and that's before I even start writing.

One of them is that I ported some mobile phone notes over to my computer, so that they can safely be categorized and stored. I haven't put them in their proper places yet, but they are safely sitting in my e-mail.

Another is the introduction of a new fandom, Undertale. I've been debating joining this fandom for a while, and I think I have two ideas for it. One of them involves the player character knowing which path leads to what consequence (as a result of, say, looking at a guide), and what they do with that knowledge.

Another leads to an alternate ending for Chara. Normally, if one takes the ending where they defeat all of the creatures in the game, Chara taints their save file. From then on, whenever a player tries to go for the best ending, they will instead be greeted by the worst ending, with no way to change back. I always found that a bit unfair, especially if someone's going for completion, just doesn't know that exists, or picks up the game forgetting that they've got an ending before. Not to mention I feel like destroying the world and then doing the best ending could be a way for the protagonist to see the wrong of their previous actions and resolve to cleanse themselves of what happened.

And of course, Azriel/Flowery would get a good ending too. I forgot if Chara gets a good ending already, but if he doesn't, I will give him the best ending I can.

Speaking of good endings, there is another set of ideas for one of the stories. I've been playing Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume as a Semilocke. I was thinking about how none of the characters receive truly happy endings and how I'd written down an idea about everyone living in receiving a happy ending. The run has given me some ideas for that story.

In the beginning of the game, Wylfred uses the sword Gram to defeat the demons instead of the Destiny Plume. This allows Ancel to travel along with him. Gram could be something that Wylfred picked up, but was reluctant to use until he was desperate. This idea comes from the fact that Gram is a sword capable of defeating the demons, and that's possible to have it at the beginning of the game. Furthermore, Gram is considered a dark sword, so Wylfred be uncomfortable with it is understandable. Chapter 1 proceeds as normal, except with Ancel's inclusion.

Chapter 2 is where things start to change. Since the routes differ from that point on, many of them must merge in order for the characters to meet each other and join. In chapter 2, Wylfred joins the rebels, and Darius disobeys orders in order to side with them. Natalia finds out who her twins are, who will also join for the same reason they do in the game. It's unknown what their reactions will get be time, though. Gwendal also joins with Darius, grateful simply to have someone to fight.

The rebellion still collapses, but not as badly. Mainly, there are some casualties, but the rebellion still is alive. Natalia decides to travel with Wylfred, since she has a feeling he is also intent on eventually striking the crown. The group later travels directly to the Crown City, as in the games, but it is unknown what Natalia is feeling at the time. Natalia may believe that when the crisis is averted, the new ruler will listen to the victims of the famine. Either that, or they're right near him… Other rebellions also spring up, adding to the present instability.

That just leaves Huegoe. I can't really find a way to include him, except to have been hired by Darius's group. But then he would need some way to get to the fortress at the beginning of the game…

Chapter 3 has everyone putting aside their past grudges to find the real killer of Cennair. Needless to say, no one is happy when they find out the killer is traveling with them (or does, eventually). It's unknown what happens to Fauxnel at this point. However, one idea could be that he is taken in by Rosea and Liselotte. They have been watching him in the party, and he is the one exiled while they are accepted back. It's not a completely happy ending, but at least he's alive…

As for the final boss, it's probably still Aliyth. Unfortunately, I don't think there's much a way to give her a happy ending… Maybe she could feast on someone else's soul…

In terms of other stories, the fate of the Altar has been decided. This is not because I wrote chapter 4, but because I got a follower and favorites. If people enjoy the Altar so much that they're willing to see it to the end, then I will continue to produce chapters. After all, happy readers really makes a story worth writing…

Speaking of writing, I should probably get to writing now. Well, since this post is long, I will post what I write later in a separate part.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So the introduction of a new fandom, Undertale. I became interested in this game after reading about it once, and wanted to try it for myself. However, at the time, it was currently released for systems I didn't have. Luckily, at the time of this being posted, Undertale was on its way to the Nintendo Switch, which is something I did have.**

**-Also, it's implied in the game that one of the characters mentioned in this entry, Chara, actually does get a happy ending. But it's difficult to find, takes a lot of extra interpretation, and wasn't something I knew about until I read some more information about the game recently. So these entries assume he doesn't get a happy ending.**


	17. August 1, 2017

**Welcome to another entry for Scrapbook! As usual, all characters are property of their respective companies. See the author's notes for details.**

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**Writing: Backstage Pass (August 1, 2017)**

So, my first writing entry for August! Quite a diverse cast in this entry.

The first involves the site Toyhouse. I managed to update the main protagonist of the Altar with Chapter 3's information. Every other character that was created before the Altar has also been uploaded. Psyche's profile is still in creation, however, but some of her info was changed with the start of her Semilocke.

Firstly, Psyche may appear in more than two Semilockes other than the final. The reason for this is that Psyche teams up with Griselda in Pokémon Gold. Griselda was originally meant to appear in Pokémon Emerald and the fan game Pokémon Zeta. There's a chance Griselda may still appear in those games, since she would be going anywhere to look for her sister Gwendolyn. The question now is whether Psyche will follow her.

It would make sense for Psyche to follow her because she values bonds. If the Spyro she knows is defeated, she wants to look for way to rescue him. There's also the fact that Psyche is told to look for those "displaced by time" (as told by the Chronicler) when she completes her mission in the Legend of Spyro universe. Psyche would want to continue to do that, knowing that the victims are still out there. She's also able to sense that Griselda is one of the ones displaced by time, and chooses to stick with her.

The problem has to do with the role originally planned for Griselda, and by extension, Psyche, if she chooses to go with her. Griselda was originally planned to not be a combat unit after her Semilocke (not counting the final). Therefore, Psyche would have that issue as well. However, now I can't see them being out of combat, because combat is one of the major parts of both their characters. Psyche and Griselda may not be a major part of the remaining Semilockes. This is because the focus shifts to other characters that are part of a destroyed world. There's also another cameo, Mikoto, that makes an appearance and is a main character.

Now I'm not sure how to fit all that in together, and if there should be any special rules for Psyche and Griselda (or if they should just hang back and follow if it's not possible to be in the party). This also comes up because Mikoto is already required to be in the party, although, unlike the others, she does not have to be a specific gender. The issue with Psyche as well is that after the Gold Nuzlocke, most of Psyche's specific problems are solved. It might just drag her story out, although she was originally planned to be participating in the trial up to the final fight anyway.

Speaking of Semilockes, there's more story in Psyche's run. Spyro is a raging spirit, to fit with the fact that he was named after a Dunsparce with Rage that injured the party. He is very powerful, just like the Pokémon he represents. Since Spyro is from the Bonds Revisited version of Legend of Spyro, he is also dead. Psyche acts skittish around him, reminded of her past failure. Eventually, when it comes time for Griselda to join, Psyche has no problem kicking Spyro out of the party.

There's also the matter of Griselda herself. I wasn't sure how to have Griselda join the party, but then thought of a way as I entered Sprout Tower, the group are confounded by the spirits there, and Cynder's ghost tries to attack them. However, she doesn't do much damage, and the phantoms keep advancing. It's at that point that Griselda appears, handily destroying the spirits despite eventually getting injured in battle. After learning of her journey to find her sister, and the group finding her battle skills useful, Griselda joins the party.

Some other fanfictions have received idea updates as well. Kyra's has a massive update, and confirmed to be an AU. Kyra's the creator of the cheater cards and Lulu, and was around when the main Empire was active. So she's actually responsible for the majority of the game, because Lulu and the cheater cards are constantly being pursued, and everyone wants the power of the Empire for their own reasons (including Kyra herself).

Kyra wants the revival of the Empire, having seen its fall, so would make sense for her to meet up with the main party, or even the villains. It also would make sense that the others would find out how she is involved and blame her for almost everything.

The main protagonists are connected to the Empire, and Lulu eventually wakes up. So Kyra would sense that power, join up with the main protagonists, and the story will go from there. Of course, the main protagonists are on opposite sides, so that makes things interesting. It's found out that they're both a piece of the Empire, so Kyra's plan may be to get them together.

Or maybe she'd be switching sides a lot, similar to what Nessiah does in Yggdra Union. It's hard to see them together, considering everyone opposes each other, and eventually ends up with a piece. Being AU also means that Kyra missing part of her past is not as much of a problem, since I can just fill it in with whatever makes sense. This ought to be interesting, if nothing else…

Also, I originally gave up on my remaining Binding of Isaac fanfics, but I have decided to continue them. They just need expansion, and probably a little more research. One in particular, Choice, now highlights several boss fights and one of the endings. In its original incarnation, it only talked about one boss fight.

The final piece that got a huge update was Undertale. I did some of my research for it, and came up with a few conclusions. One of the ideas will be easy to implement, seeing as it just requires knowledge of the endings, how to get them, and a bit of background knowledge.

The other… is not.

Basically, I was hoping to get the character Chara a happy ending and free Frisk from his possession. But both are easier said than done… Basically, working with Chara is a lot more than helping someone who is misguided… I still want to do it though, because I'm a sucker for happy endings…

Finally, The Altar got crossposted to the Nuzlocke Forums. I'm not sure if I crossposted at the right spot, but I'm sure someone can direct me. Speaking of the Altar, I haven't written anything for yet. Since it is later, I might not write much. If I don't write much, I will just put it in tomorrow's entry.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So a few things here. The trial referred to in this entry was a trial that the main protagonist of Price of Rebirth was supposed to undertake. This trial was supposed to help her let go of her past, and simultaneously awaken the powers within the past. The trial can only be completed by going through multiple battles, which is why there's a reference a final battle at the end. Psyche was supposed to help her along the way, at least until the final battle where she couldn't help. It's unknown if this trial will make a resurgence in the reboot of Price of Rebirth.**

**-The Nuzlocke Forums are a group of boards dedicated to the popular Pokémon challenge called a Nuzlocke. They do other types of events as well, but these events don't receive nearly as much attention as the traditional Nuzlocke. At the time, I was fairly active there, posting and reading a lot of writing. However, I'm not active there now anymore, because it is difficult to post there, and a lot of my runs are not traditional Nuzlocke.**

**-Lastly, this entry mentions something called Zeta. Zeta is a Pokémon fan creation that is made using another program called RPG Maker. Zeta is known for being far more difficult and quite a bit darker than the official Pokémon games. It also gives the player the choice of taking on several challenge runs, or even combining the rules of different runs to create something even harder. At the time this entry was written, I enjoyed the fan creation a lot because it had many elements that were not yet introduced into the official games, and even some that still aren't. So I was determined to complete it in as many different ways as I could. Hence why it shows up here.**

**-It's also noting that Zeta is the first instance of fan creations showing up in my entries. There are quite a few other entries centered on fan creations, as I was trying out different ones at the time this blog was written. Therefore, I may as well say that this blog contains some notes on fan material as well as official ones. All fan material is still property of their creators, especially with original characters and concepts.**


	18. August 1, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journey of a Wheeling Gamer (August 1, 2017)**

Taking a break from the Semilockes to do a bit of other gaming. Maybe I can finish up Fantasy Life…

When last I left off, I was trying find Yuelia in the jungle… I'd better try to find her again…

And there's an abandoned shack… Better see what's inside…

It's a complete mess, but apparently there's a cauldron… And apparently the Life Goddess lived there at some point… I wonder where she is…

And I found a diary… Rude to read it, but no one's living here…

And appears the writings are from someone named Gladstone... Could that be the same one as the Champion Paladin back at Mt. Snowpeak? This can't be a coincidence…

And it appears there's more of those creepy Plushlings… It sounds as though there's another Doomstone nearby… Better check it out…

Noelia gets me into the forest, but there's something else nearby… Who could be watching us? Another monster?

And Noelia is apparently a magician who uses dark magic… Not a very good one, considering she can't hit anything she tries to aim at…

I eventually reach a bridge, and it looks like I find out who is watching us... Appears to be a creature called a Furlin… Wonder if they've any relationship to Furrbies…

Well, they look like giant ducks… And one joins the party, so it has to help me cross the bridge…

After I cross the bridge, I'm on my own though.

And Furlin language class… I wonder what that's like, considering they mostly speak the same words over and over…

And Yuelia's being attacked... Guess I'd better save her…

Yuelia is also a magician, and she uses light magic. She hits, too.

And I find a Floatstone… But before I can do anything, Divinus appears to explain.

How sad… Celestia sacrificed herself to save the world… And she stopped the fighting among the inhabitants by creating the Life system, and helping creatures learn to work together…

But the game never actually said she was dead, so maybe I can see her again…

And it appears Noelia and Yuelia have to return to their world soon… If they don't, they won't return at all…

I'm just going to say I have certain feelings about that, but I will save it for the end…

I found the Floatstone, and there's a few jokes at Noelia's expense… Kind of funny…

The reunion between Crankshaft and Larkin was so sweet... And more jabs at Noelia…

Also, the Furlin came with us. How the heck did it get on the ship? It wouldn't fit…

Never mind that. The summit awaits!

In the middle of the summit, Gladstone enters! It appears he is the same person from the abandoned shack! Well, he should be able to tell the party how to get to the next area… That's pretty difficult, considering it's the equivalent of the moon…

And Gladstone tells us that Riveria is headed for permanent darkness…

And everyone shouts "Oh, no!" in unison…

I'm wondering if they really did rehearse that…

And I get a bunch of money… Maybe I can buy the house in the woods… And some weapons…

None enough for a house, but enough for some weapons… I will get them after this chapter…

Scene switch to a talking engine! I wish real engines talked like that! Heck, I wish all machines talked like that! My walker would probably hate me…

And I finally get a Bliss Bonus! I think I'm going to get another pet… I know exactly what it's going to be, but I have to wait a while…

Meanwhile, I hear Crankshaft's wish. An airship that can fly to the moon, huh? Sounds pretty cool…

Aroura can now join my party. Not like I need her at this point…

And I get to make a return trip to Terra Nimbus! Only for a short while though… I get to find a new pet, a dragon! May be useless in battle, but it looks cool… His name is Speaker, a reference to Dragon NaturallySpeaking (the very program I'm using to write this).

But I can't stay too long, and I head to the ground. Time to reorganize my party, finish any remaining quests, and prepare as my journey draws to a close…


	19. August 2, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 2, 2017)**

So the journey continues… Back to Fantasy Life, and later on, Pokémon Emerald. As for what game I want to play after, I have a few in mind…

Okay, time to truly explore Terra Nimbus. If I can take out the Silver Dragon easily, I will head back to the Ancient Ruins and take out the Golden Dragon.

And there's some cute little enemies, although they are easy… Too bad I can't get those rainbow triceratops as pets…

Easy, that is until I find a Golden Owl the nearly kills me… The Golden Owl was a golden enemy, like the Golden Dragon… I wasn't even doing much damage to it, so I guess I'm not ready for the Silver Dragon…

I'm heading into the woods, looking for the Plushling Camp. Instead, I run into a rainbow dinosaur with a ferocious lightning breath… Unfortunately, it seems I have to beat it in order to pass… This rainbow dinosaur is quite tough, defeating my allies several times, and forcing me to use almost all my healing items…

But ahead lies something greater; the Silver Dragon.

The Silver Dragon is no pushover, and my party barely does any damage. The real meat is as hatchlings, but there's still a problem. Distracting the Silver Dragon is hard went in the enclosed space, and even then, the hatchlings are good at taking hits. They are also good at doing damage back, unlike the Golden Dragon. At least their icy breath doesn't freeze…

I wind up mostly standing back and letting my allies do the work. With them, I manage to defeat two of the hatchlings. However, I have to charge in while they distract the Silver Dragon in order to defeat a third…

Unfortunately, my quest as a Paladin is to defeat five, but I'm not yet strong enough…

Guess that's all I will be doing for now… I would collect some of the peaches, if only I knew where the trees were… Oh well, I'll probably be coming back…

Oh look, it's the Plushling camp… Turns out it was in the opposite direction from where I was heading… Oh well, at least I'm here now…

And I get a scene with the Plushlings… Turns out these ones have mastered human speech… And they are the ancestors of those down below… Interesting…

They have some rather bizarre wishes, but they get them heard... And I finally get a weapon upgrade and healing items. Plus I have money to spare!

Time to head back down… And continue with the main story. But that will be for a little while later… I have a date with the pool.

Got back, and started training for Pokémon Emerald. First time using the speed up button and not used to the increased speed… Led to many stupid things happening… However, I managed to complete training and now await continuing the game this weekend.

For now, I will continue Fantasy Life.

Off I go to complete chapter 7, and with this, the main game. I will not do the postgame at this time, but I do have the DLC for it.

Time to head to the Elderwood Village!

And now the Furlin can join the party! Too bad I can't own one as a pet…

And get to hear Falcon's wish further in! And his dialogue is hilarious.

Robin's wish is heard too, but it's less funny. It's still pretty sweet, though. He can now join the party, too. He's not much of a fighter though, so I doubt I will be using him.

And my last thing is to talk to an engine!

I still find the idea of talking engines hilarious.

And that's that for the quests! The final chapter awaits…

And it looks like Yuelia is gone… Perhaps she went to say her last goodbyes…

After searching all over, I found Yuelia. Looks like she's by the goddess statue where I first met her… Funny, it's been so long since I last played I don't remember that scene… Anyway, I should go.

And everyone's at the top of the Spirit Tree. I have feelings about the scene, too. But I'll save them for later.

And I get to see everyone else that we've met on the journey. The Dark Sultan has the best dialogue by far.

And after a hectic flight, we're on Lunaras!

Specifically, there's a place called Starlight Garden. It's beautiful, and the music is so peaceful…

And I finally get to meet Divinus. He looks kind of like Zeus, except he doesn't act like him at all…

And I get to meet Celestia, even if it's just a projection…

And she has a sweet conversation with her daughters about happiness… It sort of makes sense, and goes with the theme of the game… Although it would make a little bit more sense if something else were added to it... I will discuss that later though…

And it looks like I need something else to save the world... I wonder what?

And it looks like Yuelia is gone again? Does that mean she sacrificed herself?

Well, rather, it seems she decided to live on Riviera… And the conversation about how Divinus views himself is really sweet… He really does have compassion for the people, even if he believed the world couldn't be saved at one point…

And I get my end credits, and the final letter from Yuelia…

I guess I'd better voice my closing thoughts…

This game isn't perfect, but it's very good. Their music is pleasing, the story is cute and funny, the characters memorable, and overall just fun to play. As a completionist, I do like the reliance on the quests, and the different classes all being relevant. I also think the houses are an interesting addition, and the game relies a lot on getting everything, but the player is generously rewarded. The DLC is also worth buying, as it expands the game by lot. The price is cheap as well.

The game does have its flaws though. In particular, it's how the story tells itself. It's obvious from the beginning that Yuelia is the true protagonist and that character that the player controls feels rather shoehorned in. Furthermore, for being such an important character, Noelia could definitely have been introduced earlier and developed more. The story could've also been longer to make way for such development.

It is because of this that the scene with the girls realizing they have to leave loses a lot of its emotion. There's just not enough development there to make it meaningful, even though one of them has been there for the entire game.

There's also the problem with the DLC, and when it is purchased. The DLC can be purchased and its requirements read right at the beginning of the game. However, should the player do this, there are spoilers for the end of the game. One of them spoils the fact that Yuelia can join the party and will return. This makes the scene where she acts as though she's never going to return, as well as the goodbye scene, lose a lot of its meaning. It would've been better if the requirements were not revealed until the end (regardless of when the player actually purchased the DLC).

Finally, where the combat classes excel, the support classes suffer. The combat is nice, but the support mini games are redundant. While the player can get some of the best equipment in the game this way, it doesn't mean very much when the player can get through the main game just using the equipment they buy. It makes the support classes not worth doing over a combat class, unless the player wants to combine the two (and even then, it's tedious).

But even then, despite all its flaws, this game is worth every penny. It is shame that there was no sequel. I would've loved to see this game polished up and have more adventures with it.

For now, I can simply look back fondly on my Fantasy Life.


	20. August 3, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 3, 2017)**

The weather may be bad, but it's a fine day for a Semilocke. So let us begin one with Pokémon Gold.

This is my first time playing in August, and my first time playing at day. Hopefully both should prove useful.

It appears the Semilocke is eventful, but first, the training. My Bellsprout needs to be leveled up… Luckily, there is Dark Cave, and I'm right at Violet City. A few Geodude fights, and she's ready to go.

Now to head back into the Sprout Tower. Considering most of my team resists Grass, this should be easy…

And easy it is. Even the Hoothoots fall without incident.

But that's not where the real trouble lies.

No, the real trouble is with the Gym Leader, Falkner.

Falkner theme is flying type, and unfortunately, most of mine is weak to Flying. Some of my members are also weak to the Mud-Slap attack that his team has. In fact, the only ones who are not weak one or both of these things are Hoothoot and Rattata.

Neither of whom are the strongest in combat.

I guess I'll just have to hope for the best.

At least his Gym Trainers don't carry Mud Slap.

But, they still have their own issues.

The Pokémon are around my level, and all of them are fast. That means they can hit hard and strike before I can attack back.

My poor Cyndaquil… It's faster than most things, but it nearly gets torn to shreds in the Gym… The flying Pokémon do a lot of damage, and it doesn't have a move that matches its type…

Losing my starter hurts... I would hate to have it happen here…

I managed to win, but with lots of potions…

Still, I have enough for the real confrontation with Falkner…

Hoothoot isn't much a fighter, so I put Ratatta to the top of my list and begin the fight. Falkner's Pokemon hit fast and hard, staying on my level.

So what I am I do?

Equip Rattata with Quick Attack.

The opponents may still be doing a lot of damage, but at least I'll always have the first hit.

A lot of criticals on their side though, with two hits being enough to knock Rattata down to one HP…

Pidgey's Tackles hurt, but it goes down eventually. I've used up a lot of my potions, and I desperately hope I still have enough.

Because there's a bigger opponent coming out.

Pidgeotto.

Pidgetto packs the dreaded Mud-Slap, as well as powerful Tackles and Gusts. Not to mention it's at my level (9).

One Gust is enough to injure Rattata. A critical is enough to bring it down to 1.

From full HP.

Luckily, I have enough HP to do attacks in between, and enough potions to last for little while.

It looks like Quick Attack is the word of the day, but I am in for a long battle. Pidgeotto has fairly good defenses, and can do a lot of damage back.

Finally, when it's almost dead, the bird makes its move.

It strikes with Gust, getting a critical.

Which brings me down to one HP.

I'm low on potions, so healing is not too much of an option.

I strike with Quick Attack, hoping that will be enough to kill it.

Luckily, my hopes are not misplaced, and I win my first Badge.

My next order of business, other than picking up the mystery egg, is to go ahead and get supplies.

I have to load up on all the potions and Poké Balls I can find. Unfortunately, my shopping leaves me broke.

At least I'm in a better position than I was before.

Onto Route 32. Hopefully I can find a nice Mareep… I could really use the electricity… Not to mention one of my characters needs a replacement, and Mareep seems like the perfect choice…

Except I get a Hoppip.

Hoppip is fast, has some support moves, and nothing much else… I probably won't be using it.

My next stop is the Ruins of Alph, but I quickly turn back. The only Pokémon in here can't fight its way out of a paper bag.

And besides, there is a pool of water here. An item I find next will produce something far more useful.

So I travel on the route, beating trainers as I go. Eventually, I reach a Pokémon Center at the end of it.

This is where I find the item that will make the Ruins worthwhile.

The Old Rod.

For instead of getting an Unown that will never be useful, I get a Magikarp that will eventually be useful.

Now comes the trial of training it up…

But that will have to wait. For my next destination is the Union Cave…

What will I find there? A Geodude? A Zubat?

No, a Sandshrew. I seem to get so unlucky with my catches…

Yet I make it through the rest of the cave without incident, capturing a Spearow.

Spearow can perform better than Hoothoot, but I currently can't leave my Hoothoot behind for story reasons…

I will decide what to do next time, as I head into Azalea.


	21. August 3, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome to another entry in Scrapbook! As usual, all characters are the property of their respective companies. See the author's note for details.**

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**Writing: Backstage Pass **

Been a while since I've done one of these. May as well do one now.

A lot has happened. Mostly involving the Semilockes. A couple decisions have been made on them.

For one, a Semilocke has been removed. This one is Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance was mainly removed due to gameplay issues with extra characters. For example, Elincia was supposed to join earlier, but the earliest she can join in gameplay is chapter 9 (with Marcia and Mist). It would make more sense for her to join at Chapter 4, where she has to fight out of necessity, and it would make sense for a flying unit to join.

There is also the issue of Almedha, who I also wanted to join (getting away from Ashnard and looking for her son). Unfortunately, there wasn't a good way I could incorporate this into gameplay. However, they will still have their place in the series as a run that's without a combat equivalent.

The final one has to do with Fire Emblem: Fates. Originally, Fire Emblem: Fates was intended to do all three paths in a Semilocke. However, in the new version, only Revelation will be done. There are several reasons for this. One of them is for gameplay. Only about half the characters are recruited in the first two paths, but almost everyone is recruited on the third. The few that aren't can be bought by clearing the other two (something which I've already done on regular runs). It also works well with things such as items, when all items are available on the third path. On the other two paths, items are limited. It also works well story wise, because by doing all three paths, Mikoto would figure out pretty quickly who the true enemy was.

As for other runs, there's some decisions. Psyche and Griselda will make their way into the Emerald and Zeta runs. However, they will not be main characters, despite having two viewpoints. They are not required to be in the party, and if defeated, will simply retreat. Perhaps they are protected by the Price of Rebirth protagonist, or Mikoto.

Also, the Gold Semilocke has had some updates, because its content is also updated.

The group manages to clear the rest of the spirits in the tower where they found Griselda. However, they encounter flying foes, and Spyro charges ahead.

However, his flying skills are insufficient, and his fire breath weak. The flying foes torment him, and do a lot of damage. Eventually, he is able to defeat them with charge attacks.

Finally, the group confronts the leader. Psyche wants to charge into combat, but instead Sparx takes the lead. He also knows how to fly, and can shoot long-range shots like the birds. In the end, he matches them almost blow for blow. Unfortunately, he is heavily injured in the process. The group is now more uncertain than ever about what their future holds.

At the city, the group finds a dragon egg. It looks odd, but Psyche seems to recognize it. However, she isn't exactly sure why. She is uses her ability to see a person's individual timeline in order to guess the egg's identity. However, upon finding out, she turns white. The others ask what's wrong, but receive no answer.

Psyche originally is excited about the ruins, but suddenly senses something. The others follow her to a pool of water, and they find a young dragon. The young dragon tries to fly away, screaming as he sees Psyche. However, like Spyro, he cannot fly very far, so she catches him. Psyche notices his looks and her eyes widen in disbelief.

It appears that the dragon they found is not the Spyro that they know, but instead hails from a timeline where Psyche died in the battle against the Sorceress. Spyro was both scarred and weakened by the battle, and eventually lost all confidence in himself. It's also found that in this timeline Spyro did love Psyche, and she felt comfortable enough to reciprocate.

The Spyro the party found is so weakened that he can do little in battle other than dodging attacks. The others scoff at bringing him along, seeing this as a liability. However, Psyche defends him, saying that they can't leave him where he is. If this truly is the Spyro from her time, then he will gain his power back and be as strong as anyone. If anyone still objects, Psyche insists she will train him herself. This begins that Spyro's character arc of gaining more confidence in himself.

Eventually, the group continues on to another cave, but Psyche notices she is having trouble against the enemies. She starts to realize that she doesn't have much time with this form, and if she doesn't get a new one soon, she'll be forced to abandon the group, and her mission. This is also compounded by the fact that Psyche can actually feel her time is running out, due to her powers of magic and time. She wishes the Chronicler is there with her, but he stated that Psyche must use only the powers of the world, and that she must complete her mission on her own. There's also a chance that Psyche may notice her trouble earlier, depending on how the recording of the runs play.

Psyche is most noticeably affected by the recruitment of James. She particularly notices that the power his form has completely eclipses hers. It will not be long before she's forced to retire from battle, or find a new form. Either way, the mission must go on, and she has to find a way to get around her lack of power.

Griselda has started becoming attached to Psyche, asks her what's going on. Psyche explains that she is running out time, and Griselda explains that she has the same problem. Her spear collects power from the earth, but with the rules of their journey, there will come a time when it stops gaining power. When that happens, she will have to discard her old forms for new ones. Griselda vows that no matter how many forms they go through, they will complete their missions. The group will always need their powers. Psyche agrees, and the two grow closer.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So first things first is about the characters joining earlier in Fire Emblem. In this series, certain important characters join the party late, or don't join at all. However, for the ones that do eventually join, there are characters with similar skills that join earlier. Typically, the important characters have some sort of advantage over those that join before them to make them worth using.**

**-With this in mind, my plan was to make the important character Elincia join earlier by using two characters named Marcia and Mist. Elincia rides a Pegasus, and uses swords and staffs. Marsh also rides a Pegasus, but she uses spears. If she's trained enough, she can eventually use swords, like Elincia. Mist starts out with staffs, and eventually can be trained to ride a horse and use swords. Elincia never uses spears normally, but I figure this could be a skill she could pick up later on in the story. In order for this method to work, I would have two separate files. Mist and Marcia still had to be used for the purposes of the Nuzlocke, so one would be simply playing through the story normally. The other would have Mist and Marcia representing Elincia and her early joining time. So, anything that happened would count towards Elinicia rather than themselves.**

**-This idea was discarded for a couple reasons. One was that it was difficult to implement mechanically, because of the idea of having two separate save files from one character, and being forced to use two when the amount of characters that can be used for missions is often limited. The other has to do with story contradictions. **

**-Elincia actually becomes one of the protagonists early on in the game, but does not fight for a long time. If she were to fight earlier, it would make sense that she would fight as soon as she becomes one of the protagonists, since she's on the run and needs to defend herself. She even offers to fight earlier, but the others refuse. Unfortunately, at the time Elincia does initially join with the group, there are no characters that can suitably represent her in battle.**

**-The other character mentioned, Almedha, has it even worse. She's instrumental to two of the games in the series, but does not fight at all. The first of the two doesn't even hint at her existence, despite her being the main reason the first game can be completed. The second of the two has her appear as a major character, and travel with the group for a long time. However, she never fights, mainly because she lost that ability long before the games started and is reluctant to train with other weapons. Unfortunately, the weapon Almedha used to utilize is only used by one other person that joins very late into the second game. Since she never goes anywhere near combat after she loses that weapon, there's no way of knowing what weapon she would've preferred. So that idea would not have worked, because there's no way of figuring out who would represent her.**

**-The idea of Fire Emblem Fates being restricted to only one path in a Nuzlocke has to do with the game's mechanics. **

**The game consists of three paths. When the player first buys the game, they can play through some introductory chapters, and eventually choose one of two available paths. Each path compromises of half of the game, and locks the player out of the other one on successive playthroughs. However, the second path can be bought at a discounted price at any time afterward. **

**Later on, there's a third path they can also be bought a discounted price. This path has almost everything in the game, introduces new areas and explores almost every other one, and has what is considered the game's true ending. However, story wise, it's meant to be played after the other two paths, because it gives spoilers for them. Since I had all three paths, playing the third only seemed like the obvious choice. However, this idea was eventually rejected for two reasons. One of which is that I didn't want to play only a third of the game and leave the other two thirds unfinished, but it seemed too redundant to do all three paths. The other was that Fire Emblem: Fates was one of my least three games in the series, and I didn't want to play than any more than absolutely necessary.**

**-Finally, a brief explanation on Psyche's powers of time. In the revamped and darker Spyro trilogy, time was one of the powers a dragon could obtain. The main protagonists eventually do obtain this power, although it comes relatively late, and is not used too often. Since one of Psyche's character motives is time and immortality, I thought it would be fitting for her to gain those powers. **

**However, the type of power Psyche gains is much different than what is seen in the Spyro continuity. Furthermore, she uses it often, having it become her main method of both attack and defense. So I quickly realized it wouldn't fit into the continuity. This is the main reason why chose not to put her in all the games, since there was no reason on forcing her in when some of her powers did not fit even the continuity where they were introduced. For example, Psyche's ability to see others' timelines, as well as their past and present, is not shown in the series at all. Instead, it was just my interpretation of how someone with powers of time could utilize their abilities, and a logical fit with Psyche's other lore.**

**-Psyche and Spyro being in love with each other has to do with Psyche's. In Psyche's own story, she expresses the desire to get married and have a family. She starts to have a one-sided love for Spyro, but quickly breaks it off upon realizing that she's basing on what she used to be before the story begins and still believes himself to be, and not who she has become in the present time. She also realizes that Spyro does not love her back, and instead he loves another character mentioned earlier, Elora. Part of Psyche's character development is watching the relationship development and blossom, while working to her own feelings and accepting that Spyro won't love her and wouldn't be the right choice anyway.**

**-The idea of Spyro and Psyche mutually loving each other comes from the original version of Bonds Retested. In that version, Spyro and Psyche eventually did become a couple. Furthermore, Spyro was the one that initiated the relationship. Psyche was originally standoffish, but eventually accepted. It's also worth noting in the original version, Psyche had a previous relationship before the story began, but broke it off eventually. That relationship does not exist in the reboot, with Psyche's desire to have a relationship and family stemming from being unable to have one before the story begins.**


	22. August 4, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling gamer (August 4, 2017)**

Welcome to another fantastic journey! After finishing Fantasy Life, I have found another game I want to play.

The game is very near and dear to my heart, and it is called Kirby 64. Kirby 64 is how I got started with my love for Kirby, so I'm looking forward to finishing it. It is very short, and I'm already halfway through, but it should still be enjoyable.

So let us begin. I'm on the fire star, Neo, about to enter the first land. Seems like it's a jungle out there…

A jungle full of enemies, and spikes…

I try to dodge them with my supreme flying skills, but I still end up getting hurt. At one point I walk straight into a bit of spikes, and then fly straight into a hanging enemy.

After a while, though, I pick up a power. Now I can fire boomerangs. Those enemies stand no chance now!

I finally get a combination power up, and get the ability to shape shift into different animals. However, I keep walking straight into spike pits…

I decide I don't need that power up anymore, only to get hit by other enemies.

Before I can continue, a fire enemy on a ledge keeps hitting me…

Very soon, I am burned to death and forced to start again…

I swear I'll do better, but it's not a great start. Flying enemies attack me while I try to survey the surroundings.

At least one of those pits I fell into earlier contains a crystal shard… I need them all to get the last level…

And then finally figure out what my problem is… There is a mountain with climable parts I couldn't see… If I climb at certain times, I should be able to avoid the enemies. I expertly dive behind a fire enemy and snatch his power.

Unfortunately, this doesn't stop me from getting hit by everything else on the way down.

Somehow, I'm able to make it up, and I'm in an area with a bunch of floating vines.

Move over Tarzan! Kirby's coming through!

Those floating vines do make me dizzy, though…

I am able to maneuver the floating vines, and head straight into another room.

This is where I wish I had a power.

There's a giant version of the fire monsters I fought earlier, and my only recourse is to grab monsters who shoot spears at me from above and fire them back.

However, the spear monsters quickly stab me while I'm trying to get them, and this is the last of my lives…

Game over. Time to try again.

So then I proceed more cautiously, making sure only get the boomerang power. I'm able to attack enemies at a distance, but I'm still taking hits.

All hell breaks loose when I get to the boss room.

I think I can hit the boss from a distance and win, yet I am neglecting one most vital detail.

The spearmen can still hit me when I'm attacking. And I can't move.

The battle is over quickly.

When I was younger, I had trouble with Neo Star. For a long time, I couldn't get past it all.

Now I'm remembering why.

But I do have one defense.

Quickly, I head Pop Star to pick it up.

Within minutes, I have it.

The fearsome fire sword.

The fire sword is the most strongest power-up in the game, and it can be gotten within minutes of starting the first level. It has the ability to destroy enemies with up close a single strike. It can also be thrown a short distance, or tilted upward to attack enemies above Kirby. It can even go through platforms. About the only downside is that Kirby can only jump once one holding it.

With this, the enemies stand no chance. I'm rapidly able to maneuver, switching between the fire sword and jumping strategically. I latch onto the mountains, expertly beating enemies above me through the platforms. The vines also stand no chance.

Things are easier now, but the true test comes later.

I'm back in the dreaded boss room, but I have a new strategy. Quickly, I whip out the fire sword and defeat the regular enemies there. After that, I run to the boss and strike. There's a small amount of time when the boss attacks, and when new enemies appear. I attack the boss before that window, and then run back and attack the enemies when it's about to retaliate.

It's also worth noting that when I have the fire sword, the enemies can't touch me and I can move out of the way. So much easier…

One more challenge awaits after the boss.

That is a challenge of floating and falling logs, which I have to navigate by jumping. They don't move as quickly as the vines, so they don't make me too dizzy. Along the way, I notice another crystal, so I quickly run off to grab it. With the logs past me, I've made it through the jungles.

Now I can continue.

Except I'm missing a crystal.


	23. August 4, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of the Wheeling Gamer: Part 2 (August 4, 2017)**

Well, after some Kirby in the morning, I'm back with some more Semilockes. This time, with Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume.

Let's see how the sorceress that we got last battle stacks up against one who left… Unfortunately, she's still a guest, so I have to be careful.

Once we get out of this mess that I've gotten into…

She also has Fire Storm, which throws the enemy up in the air. Unfortunately, this will make it hard for my other people to strike them… And I can't change it until after this battle…

Luckily, I still have our overpowered weapons and powerful skills. A single hit of this skill drops the enemies' HP to half. It makes it easy to get the rewards for this battle.

And the best way to get the other sorceress attacking is letting her attack first, letting her attack finish, and then letting everyone else attack. It's still difficult to chain attacks, but it's the easiest way.

The sorceress also almost gets killed by a bunch of warriors. However, I have healing, so it's brushed off.

After I easily win the fight, I learn about the sorceress's past. It seems she was sustained by hatred for a crime she didn't commit… But in the end, it only came back to hurt her…

Rather sad…

Also, I see a scene I didn't know existed. It's a scene where two sister goddesses are sensing the darkness in the world (meaning the party) and one of them declares she'll destroy it if it gets worse. It's kind of the game's warning to the player not to overuse their powers…

Which is something the player should heed, considering they've been warned two times already… Let's just say the game's not kidding about the warning…

Also, I wish the rest of the game were voice acted. The new sorceress's voice is too good… It's a shame only the Japanese version received full voice acting... I have the Japanese version, but due to the game being text heavy, it's difficult to play…

Anyway, onto the next battle, and the next chapter. I should make a note to watch the cutscenes more often… I keep missing vital information… Of course, it could be because I don't do this route much… There's really no reason to do it, other than completion…

Oh, and the epic final battle… But that's for another time…

The main character mentions his father's words before he died on the battlefield… I wonder if that will be relevant later…

And I keep seeing the perspective of a man named Kristoff… I wonder if I will run into him…

So onto the next chapter I finally head…

I'm thrown straight into battle in a volcanic area.

Which also means we don't get to save beforehand.

This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't mess up on the new sorceress's equipment. I equipped her with everything I had, but forgot change her spell to something more practical… Guess who's doing it all again?

When I finally do get to the battle, it's nothing to write home about. There's a bunch of enemies in a lava land… Better paralyze them…

Also, my sorcerers have become strong. They can do a lot of damage to enemies for other people to pick off. And often times, they can handle enemies on their own…

In fact, I just have them weaken enemies coming from far away, but instead they end up killing them… Whoops…

And the fact that they destroy enemies so easily is what prevents me from getting the best items… I was only two points away… Oh well…

In the end of the battle, there's a pair of siblings, Phiona and Valmur. Looks like their older brother Nicholas was killed in that last fight… And I see the Valkyrie…

I bet she won't be important. Nope

On second thought, she has to be. This game_ is_ called Valkyrie Profile.

Also a shame, I don't get to meet Nicholas at all in the game... But I do get to meet his family, and that's where I will be headed next time.


	24. August 5, 2017

**Welcome to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective creators. See the author's notes for details.**

**Journey of a Wheeling Gamer (August 5, 2017)**

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So here's another entry, and that means more Kirby action. And more Kirby action means more 64!

By the way, I got the last crystal in the jungles of Neo Star. It was below where I started the level. However, I died once because I went in the wrong direction. Also managed to clear the level again. The first fire attack is surprisingly effective against the boss…

But now I must go grab my fire sword, and work to clear the next level. It looks like a waterway…

But it's not. And apparently I don't need my fire sword…

It has me falling though a cave with lots of restarts. The reason is that there's a shard in the cave to the far right, and it's difficult to control where I fall… At last, I snag the shard, but then there's another one…

This shard is located in the middle of a mining cart segment. In this segment, the game side-scrolls while the player automatically takes out enemies. However, there's a catch. The game will also expect the player to jump at certain times, and not jumping results in taking damage. Luckily, the game will give the player a warning shortly before they need to jump.

A crystal shard is located in the middle this part, and requires a specifically timed jump to get. Jumping too late means I take damage, and jumping too early means I miss the shard. Unfortunately, my first time, I jumped too early. This means I sail over the shard and have to restart. Luckily, I get it my second try.

Now, on to free movement again. It appears I actually am in a waterway…

And that's where all the chaos begins.

There's a bunch of pools in the waterway, some containing items with others contain enemies. However, the tough part is lightning enemies raining down attacks as I'm moving. Squares with eyes complicate the processes as they drop down. I can hide in the water, but I have to be quick. Furthermore, I can't hide in the water until I defeat the enemies there…

So I grab a double boomerang power up, and attack through the walls. Most of the enemies go down quickly enough, but the lightning enemies still do a lot of damage…

At one point, one of them destroys me.

But that's when I grab my next power up.

The lighting sword.

The lighting sword is another strong power, although it is weaker and slower than the fire sword. It also can't be fired in different directions, or attack from below.

It's good enough for me though, and I make it through the next part. Even though I still take damage.

Eventually, I reach the next room. It's full of cannons and platforms of water. I have to jump at the right time to avoid the cannons which shoot into the air. To make matters more complicated, some of the water has currents that will push me towards the cannons.

I still seem to do fairly well, until I'm met with a group of three cannons shooting at me a triangle.

Unfortunately, one of the shots homes in on me, and I take damage. It's not enough to defeat me though, and I advance to the next room.

Where I'm confronted by the greatest challenge of all.

Parts of the room move up and down, and if they reach a certain point, I'm sandwiched between two walls and die instantly. There also enemies in between the walls that I need to be careful of.

I seem to avoid the walls pretty well though.

Except when I get too greedy for a one-up…

My next time, I am more cautious and make it through…

Only to find out I missed a crystal.

And I have to get using one of the worst power-ups in the game… Guess I'd better return…

Only to fail several times.

The problem is the power-up I mentioned needs to be taken to near the end of the level, along with being the worst one in the game.

Dynamite.

Dynamite has a short range, and also takes a while to go off. Kirby also has a hard hat, and if the player does not throw that hard hat on in time, the attack will hurt them. On top of that, Kirby cannot move while the hard hat is on.

But there's another problem affecting me. One that extends beyond the game itself.

It's the reason why this blog is called Journeys of a Disabled Gamer.

That's right, my disability is affecting Kirby.

How so?

Well, Kirby is a platforming game, and my disability involves movement. My disability makes it so that I often can't judge the distance between objects. For example, if an attack is coming at me, I can't always judge wasn't going to hit (like the cannons).

It also affects my reaction time, especially if something is moving fast. In segments like the mine cart, I often don't process the movement fast enough to do other actions (e.g. jumping too early and sailing over the crystal because the movement wasn't processed at the right time).

I also have difficulty making things move fast (e.g. having Kirby run in the water currents instead of walk, running to avoid the green box with eyes). Finally, if a platform is moving, I often cannot track the movement, and jump at the wrong time (e.g. the vines making me dizzy).

So what's a gamer to do?

Usually, this means forfeiting 100% on platformers.

But I have a different idea.

It involves using a little friend I like to call Gameshark.

I found out that I can get to where I need to go with Dynamite, provided I take hits a bunch of times. However, the amount of hits I need to take is more than the game typically allows.

But I have a solution for that.

My solution being a code that gives me infinite HP. This code allows me to take as many hits as I need to clear the level.

With this, I'm able to get the third crystal. Finally, I can move on.

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**Author's Notes:**

**-so, a bit of this blog's history. Trials of a Disabled Gamer was a working title for this blog's port, and at the time, that's what I planned to call it. I kept the reference here to showcase some of the history, and to go along with the theme of this entry. I picked the title Scrapbook because not all of the games played are affected by my disability, or even difficult for me (so they're not a trial). With all the different subjects and reflections on different periods in my life, I thought that this blog resembled a Scrapbook. So it ended up with its current name. Trials were a theme for quite a while, though, so they are present in some other entries.**

**-So this is my first use of a Gameshark code. I typically don't use them, mainly because I like the challenge of playing games without them. Furthermore, some games don't function correctly with them on, as later entries will showcase. I do use Gameshark codes in games like Kirby 64 where I'm having a bit of trouble despite trying to clear it without them several times, or to speed things up (such as leveling up in Pokémon).**

**-It's worth noting that I did manage to clear Kirby 64 without use of any codes when I was younger, but I didn't know I had to get the crystals to access the final level and ending. So I never completed it in its entirety. And judging by the difficulties I was having with it when I was older, I'm not sure would've been able to.**


	25. August 6, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of Wheeling Gamer (August 6, 2017)**

Perfect night for a late night Semilocke! So let us begin with the Valkyrie Profile series!

Time for an optional battle. This should be easy…

And it is. The enemies are no match for my team's overpowered equipment. Even more so when Avalanche of the Joutun is in effect… And with it, all enemies are frozen… Well, except for the leader…

The only problem for me now is a vampire flying over to attack… He can cross over obstacles, and that's about it… Oh, and he can inflict Silence, but I can easily heal that… The vampire is quickly surrounded, and he goes down without a fight.

After that, I move on to the other monsters. They go down even easier… I almost feel a little sad… Poor things didn't even get to attack…

However, back to business. And a lot of cutscenes…

It seems that Phiona, sister of the fallen Nicholas, wants the party to be his pallbearers.

There's an interesting take on how the people of Wylfred's time view death. Phoina considers her brother's inclusion as Einherjar honorable, and thus his death is also honorable. And yet, when Wylfred asks her if she shed tears of joy at his death, she rebukes him. They both grieve as she mentions she is sad that she cannot fight alongside him any longer.

It's really interesting the contradictions of that, because death is joyful in the game due to what it brings to those who pass on. And yet, it's still considered sad for those left behind… It's also interesting, because from a typical perspective, Phoina seems uncaring, especially about anything other than fighting (connecting Nicholas's death and her own sorrow to fighting rather than anything else).

It's also interesting, because the idea of honor in death is presented during the other two games, but is eventually lost. This game has its own version, but it will be seen in due time…

Anyway, Phiona continues with the party to the cathedral. But there, more confrontation awaits.

It seems that Nicholas's parents and older brother are consumed in their grief. Nicholas's parents are Augeste and Reinhilde. They're both powerful warriors on the C route of the game, but they sure don't look powerful now…

And Phoina decides she's had enough of what's happening… She says that the others are dishonoring Nicholas with what they are doing, and that he deserves better. The others agree with the latter but not with the former, explaining that they can't help their emotions.

However, she still storms away.

I still really feel like Phoina is uncaring here, saying her family's dishonoring her deceased brother with their natural grief… However, maybe she is grieving in her own way. Some people grieve with anger…

And Valmur has to head to the royal court. And we are to be his escort. Hopefully there's no fighting, yet…

However, we meet someone there. Someone named Fuaxnel. He becomes more important during the A route, but for now, he's just here to pay his respects.

He seems to close to Valmur, and states that the other houses may use Nicholas's death as a political gain. Obviously, Valmur is upset.

Considering who Fauxnel is revealed to be on the A route, it's hard to say whether anything he does is truthful… I suppose we'll find out in due time…

Speaking of upset, Wylfred and Valmur take the time to bond over their shared grief. Even though Wylfred is more aggressive, they really do share some ways of handling it…

Yet they cannot grieve for long. Because monsters strike.

Luckily, I head back to beat them. There's not that much to say about this battle, other than the monsters are still easy. The toughest thing is the high Sin requirement, as well as keep the monsters alive enough to fulfill it. The easiest way is with Ratatoskr's Scandal, and I use it to weaken the enemies enough for quick kills. In the end, I end up getting the best rewards possible, which is what I was hoping for.

After all that, I am given a tour of the family home. Valmur and the others discuss what is to be done about the war, while Phiona relates what is going on thus far.

At the end, it is decided that the house will not go to war.

Of course, this drives Phiona further apart from Valmur.

She points out the senselessness of not allowing a military house to go to war, and accuses his brother of hiding behind Nicholas's name when he points out his passing.

Of course, she storms away again. And I have to go find her. It's worth noting that other than a few minor differences, the scenes in this chapter are exactly the same as the ones in the C route. I can't tell if it's lazy writing, or things making sense because the same characters are featured again. However, in the A route, things are noticeably different, because the family does not make an appearance there.

Nevertheless, we find Phiona about to fight, and I have to join in.

That will be for next time, though.


	26. August 7, 2017

**It's been a while, but finally welcome back to another entry of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 7, 2017)**

Today seems like a perfect day for Fire Emblem: Heroes. Unfortunately, I've been remiss. The game is slowly losing my interest, but I will detail that more.

For now, an important update awaits.

The update brings with it several things, the first of which is more orbs to use. The game is now six months old, so there's a big celebration for it.

Let's see if I can get lucky summoning. Apparently, rare heroes are easier to find now…

And finally, I get one of the heroes I want! His name is Reinhart, one of the few characters from the Jugdral games. He's also one of best characters in this game. Now to start getting Feathers again…

Speaking of Feathers, I haven't been fighting in the arena much… The game keeps pitting against teams I can't beat… I may try again after I have Cherche leveled up though…

And I draw another 5* unit, Grey. He's not the unit I was looking for (Katerina), but I'll take any 5*s I can get…

And off to investigate the new update.

It seems a popularity contest (er, voting gauntlet) has just ended. It seems like my person, Robin, lost to Corrin… A shame…

A new mode has been added to the Arena. It's called Assault, and is designed for advanced players. It's the same as the regular arena where one fight against players all over the world in hopes of achieving the highest score with seven straight victories. The difference is that, here, the enemies are harder and multiple teams are required.

It seems a little too hard-core for me, although, now that I think about it, an interesting challenge might be to try out all the modes and see if I can clear them. It would definitely get me to use more people…

Speaking of challenges, I've quests to go on…

Some of the quests are easy enough, but it turns out to be not what I'm interested in.

Instead, I promote Cherche.

If I want to stay interested in the game, I have to play the way it intends me to. And if I want to play it the way intends me to, I need Feathers.

And if I want Feathers, I need to get back into the Arena.

However, having a fully leveled and maxed Cherche is easier said than done. Getting a unit to 5* is costly, and resets both stats and level.

And the best way to level up is to use the Training Tower.

Unfortunately, the Training Tower is not for the faint of heart. It spans 10 levels, and I'm lucky if I can hit the eighth. Furthermore, nothing is known about the enemies here, other than level, colors, and weapons.

I might even find foes from past story missions.

And they'll all be out for Cherche's blood.

Cherche does surprisingly well, her high defense and movement being valuable assets.

However, there are enemies that can see through it.

Even though she is strong against the armored knights, they deal heavy damage back. And the red sword enemies even kill her a few times.

Thankfully, the power of Light's Blessing is available, but I don't know for how long. And I'm low on orbs…

Magic enemies deal high amounts of damage too… If Cherche gets ganged up by them in the armors, she stands no chance…

And it happens once.

Needless to say, she is destroyed, and has to be revived again…

Along the way, I notice Cherche has a high amount of Skill Points (numbering in the thousands after she's learned all her skills).

It is something that brings both joy and gives me a heavy heart. Soon, the time will come when my heroes can't become stronger on their own.

It's at that point when I will have to use Skill Inheritance. Skill Inheritance gives my units powerful abilities, but at the cost of someone else.

And powerful units are hard to come by when I'm not spending money to get Orbs…

I don't want get rid of any of them, but the time may come when I will have to…

For now, I will focus on leveling Cherche. I manage to get her to level 25 before I decide to stop.

And then, I sit back and think about why I'm losing interest.

The thing about Fire Emblem: Heroes is that it just does not have a lot of content if the game is not played a specific way.

What the game expects the player to do is level up a lot of teams at once in order to switch strategies and take on many different foes. However, this is difficult to do without spending real money getting orbs and the best troops. Furthermore, there's not much to do if one doesn't go through the modes with this mindset. And a lot of the harder modes are blocked off because of this. The story is interesting, but progresses far too slowly. It just a shame the protagonists here are not featured in another Fire Emblem…

But I may continue regardless, and trying to clear some of those are modes. After all, from someone who's been with the game since release, it's worth trying to clear everything. And I have enough troops even without spending money to give it a try…

Plus, I want to see the characters I've used so much get a definite ending… They sure don't have one now… In the game or the story…


	27. August 8, 2017

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook. As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 8, 2017)**

And time for another fine Semilocke. It's been a while since I've done something with the Pokémon Gold crew, so let us begin.

When I last left off, they were headed for Azalea. It only takes a few steps to enter it now. The town doesn't have very much, and the next destination is Slowpoke Well.

And I can make my next catch here. Hopefully it's a nice Geodude…

And it's a Zubat… Not a bad choice, but I prefer it to be a Type I don't already have… At least I have a backup flyer…

The Rocket Grunts attack mercilessly, although most of them only have Rattata and Poison Types… However, I do notice my team is underleveled… Probably because of I have been feeding experience to my Magikarp… It's about three levels higher than the rest of the team… But I need it to be higher in order to get its evolution… Otherwise, I have to wait until the 7th Gym…

The foes in here do prove somewhat difficult, but nothing that can't be handled by Rattata and Gastly.

However, Rattata does get injured from repeated attacks, mostly Quick Attack. Gastly resists almost everything, and does a pretty good job soaking up attacks…

Until an enemy hits it with Supersonic.

Then, Gastly's high Attack stat is used against it, and my Pokémon hits itself repeatedly.

It almost dies, but I have enough healing items to survive, thankfully. The last Pokémon goes down and Team Rocket is defeated.

And then I am warped back to Kurt's house.

Shame the different types of Balls are near useless in this game... Both because of their tedious method of getting them, and the fact that a lot of them are glitched…

Kurt can only do one Ball a day here, and no Celebi either…

So it seems I will have to take leave of his place. But there is one area that is important, and that is the Gym.

So far, I'm not sure how good the odds will be. Currently, my Cyndaquil doesn't know Ember, so that leaves Hoothoot as my only offensive option. Gastly can also play defensive, but Fury Cutter in the last fight will tear it apart…

I can only bring my best Type advantages and hope for the best.

At first, the Gym seems to be going well. Magikarp is steadily gaining experience, and Cyndaquil has learned Ember.

That is, until I get to one Pokémon.

Beedrill.

Beedrill has a lot of attack power, and can hit almost anyone on my team.

I send out Magikarp as usual, then switch to Hoothoot. I should be able to have enough power to take it down…

Except I don't.

Hoothoot has enough power to do damage, but one hit injures her.

Despite a lot of healing, she falls.

And then I am faced with a dilemma.

Do I or do I not revive?

I do have revival chances, but there are only two. And once I use one, that's one less for anyone else… There's no guarantee I will earn any more, because it requires facing all the boss battles in the game and having no Pokémon fainting or restarts.

Furthermore, Hoothoot has been lagging behind for while, and I have a Spearow in storage.

So it makes sense not to revive her.

Yet there is the matter of the Nuzlocke's rules.

Hoothoot represents a character called Psyche. Psyche, according to the Nuzlocke rules, must always stay in the party. If she isn't, I have to make a catch representing her in the next area or make an illegal catch somewhere else. Since I am unable to make a catch at this point, I am faced with two choices.

Either revive Psyche, or risk going into the next battle without a full team.

The choice seems painfully obvious, and there is a quick revival.

However, I have finish the battle first.

I send out my Cyndaquil, hoping it can take out the ferocious enemy with its newly learned Ember.

Yet the beast injures him anyway. Luckily, he's able to finish the battle with two critical hits.

That was beyond close.

After a few easy battles, I make my way to the gym Leader, Bugsy.

His two cocoons are easily taken care of, but then the real threat remains.

Scyther.

I send out my Cyndaquil after Magikarp, but Scyther continues to do damage. I think I can defeat it with Ember, though. And after that, I can have my first evolution…

And then, it happens.

Scyther's Quick Attack strikes when my Cyndaquil is weakened. The poor thing has no chance…

And with that, I have my first death.

But there's no time to waste.

I send out my Gastly, who has the ability to resist almost everything Scyther does. And Hypnosis stops Fury Cutter in its tracks. After a long fight, Scyther is down.

Leaving me to wonder why I didn't use that strategy in the first place.

If I did, Cyndaquil would still be alive…

Yet this is no time for mourning. It's time to take the Badge and leave. Besides, Bugsy isn't my only opponent.

There is another battle to face.

Silver.

Before burying my fallen comrade, I take a look at the other Pokémon I've gotten. None of them are competent fighters, though. But I do have an unhatched egg.

Seeing little choice, I take the egg and leave.

Not that the Pokémon inside is any good.

But Silver doesn't care. He just wants to fight.

He comes at me with a Gastly of his own. Luckily, Hoothoot is ready to counter. She defeats it easily.

Next up, a Zubat. His Pokémon knows the move Bite, so Gastly isn't an option. However, Rattata is, and I defeat it easily.

The final Pokémon is one I'm fearing.

Croconaw.

Croconaw is higher leveled than anything I've seen at this point. Furthermore, it has the ability to weaken my defenses and hit back with massive amounts of damage.

Truly, it's a force to be reckoned with.

However, my Bellsprout can strike it for effective damage. Provided it isn't weakened. Of course, Silver's strategy is to weaken my team with Leer, then destroy them.

But I've got a workaround for that.

From all the leveling up, Magikarp has good HP and defense. It can form a solid wall. And if opponent stats are weakened, the weakening will not take effect if the foe switches out.

With that, I put my plan into action.

Bellsprout is weakened by Croconaw's stat reducing attacks, and as soon as it looks like Croconaw is going to attack back, I switch her out and have Magikarp take the blow. I repeat this a few times, and Croconaw is down.

After that, I head into Illex Forest. There's not much there, other than Bug Type Pokemon. But the real treat lies in a TM, Headbutt. Headbutt is a powerful move, and it also allows me to find Pokémon that can be seen nowhere else.

With that, I backtrack to Azalea.

I must have one of those rare Pokémon… Maybe a Heracross…

Instead what I find is Pineco.

Who proceed to explode on me. Multiple times.

After a couple times, I still manage to catch one.

And then it's off to the route before Goldenrod.

Nothing truly exciting happens here, but the enemies are weaker than what I faced before.

It allows Rattata and Hoothoot to prove their worth, perhaps for the last time.

Finally, I make it to Goldenrod without many issues.

And that's where the fun starts. Goldenrod is home to both powerful healing items and rare Pokémon. It's also home to one of the hardest of boss fights in the game, but I don't worry about that for now.

Instead, I skip to the giant department store, buying as many lemonades as I can. Lemonades are the best healing items in the game at this point, and I am going to need them.

For I am headed to the deep and dark Goldenrod Underground, in search of an item that will give me Pokémon.

But while I'm there, I have to battle other Pokémon.

And they're much tougher than those I faced before.

In particular, there is a Lickitung with the move Cut. This move is stronger than almost anything I have at this point (excluding Cut itself, and Headbutt). I make the mistake of putting Hoothoot in the front, and it almost gets destroyed.

Thankfully, I have enough healing items to win the fight.

But there's another threat here; Magnemite. Magnemite can resist almost everything I have and hit back for at least neutral damage. I try using Gastly, but there's not much I can do. My best offense is to use Bellsprout, power up my attacks, and do as much damage as possible. With this strategy, I manage to win.

Along the way, the egg I was carrying hatched. Unfortunately, the Pokémon inside is Togepi, who's not particularly useful. At least I can keep it safe in the box…

There's also a Spearow named Kenya, who is needed to complete an errand. Of course, I'm going to help her complete it.

But that's not the main point of my journey.

Instead, I head for the Game Corner with the new Coin Case I found. The Coin Case allows me to buy game coins, and these game coins can be used to access rare Pokémon and moves.

One of the Pokémon comes easily: Abra. While I don't have many moves that Abra can use yet, I know exactly where to get them.

The other one is not so easy. I'm interested in Dratini, one of the strongest Pokémon available. However, Dratini requires a lot of coins, and that requires playing the games at the Game Corner.

Unfortunately, the games are all based on luck, and I'm not particularly lucky.

However, I have other ways of getting my prize…

As for what ways those are, well, I'll elaborate on them next time.


	28. August 9, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of the Wheeling Gamer (August 9, 2017)**

Today is a fine day for Kirby, so let's get to it!

Last time, I'd gotten stuck on a puzzle where I had to create a picture with blocks. Frustrated, I'd given up.

Today, I'm back at it.

There are three different puzzles that can be created with the blocks. Which one the player gets depends on the painting before, and changes every time the level is played. The puzzles are a parasol, a half-eaten pizza, and a top hat.

Last time, I'd gotten the parasol, which requires very precise placement of the blocks and precise movements go with it. After a couple times, I give up.

However, this time I get something different, the top hat.

The top hat is the easiest puzzle of the three, because it just requires destroying the blocks on the ends and leaving the rest alone. This is different from the others. They require destroying multiple blocks in multiple different places, with only some being left alone.

After I complete the top hat, the crystal appears in the center. I'm free to destroy the blocks as normal, grab the crystal, and move on.

That is, after get my drill power back.

So I start backtracking, carefully making my way back to where the required enemies are.

However, I forgot one thing,

In order to get the drill, I have to deal with the rock power.

The rock power makes Kirby invulnerable to enemy attacks, and can destroy enemies with a single touch. The drawback is that Kirby cannot jump in this form at all. If he tries to go up hills, he'll simply roll back down. The rolling can also occur if one tries to use the attack in midair, and later slam back down on the ground in the same form. One can get rid of this form simply by pressing the attack button again, but the player has to be quick and Kirby will be vulnerable until he takes the form again.

So what is possible to use the attack in midair, land on the edge of the ledge, and roll right to a death.

Which is exactly what I end up doing.

Luckily, I'm able to get the drill power back with restart, but I'm a bit reckless and end up taking more damage than usual. At least I can continue now.

The enemies in the next room are in between platforms. The drill easily takes care of them with its distance attack.

At least, until I mistime a jump and fall to my death.

The next time, I'm a bit more careful with my maneuvering, but I still take damage.

There is a fish that's trying to attack me with its heads. I managed to grab it and snag the boomerang. It's not as good as the drill, but it will do.

And then after I make it near the end of the area, I find something that makes everything worth it.

A fire enemy.

With that, I can obtain the mighty fire sword.

So I waste no time in getting it.

The next area doesn't have much, other than platforms that fall as soon as I step on them. There are flying enemies in between, but they're not particularly difficult. Plus, the platforms are so short I can easily fly over them.

The final room is so cute. It has little stones all spelling out Kirby…

What's not cute is that I realize they're supposed to be a crystal in this room, and I somehow missed it…

At least I have my fire sword.


	29. August 9, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies. Also, see the author's notes for details.**

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 9, 2017)**

Fine night for another Semilocke! So let us begin. This one's Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume!

Last time, I was nearing the fifth chapter and working on completing chapter 4. Today, I will finish it, but leave chapter 5 to itself. First there is an argument in the house my group is staying, and I have to rush to defend it.

Except the rush isn't much at all.

The enemies are still overpowered by my incredible equipment, and the only real problem is the high Sin requirement.

Luckily, that is solved by Ratatoskr's Scandal, and group healing for my team.

The rest of the enemies are defeated easily after being attacked in groups. Flyers try to come in from the sides, but my sorcerers easily deal with them.

But it seems this battle is only preparation for the true fight.

All of a sudden, there are sounds of battle, and it seems as though the main house is being attacked.

And the owners, Auguste and Reinhilde, are in trouble.

So I have to rescue them.

But this is where the game takes a step up.

The Sin requirement is high, and Ratatoskr's Scandal will damage Auguste and Reinhilde as well. So I can't use it to help mitigate it. Of course, this being the B Path, sacrificing someone is also out of the question.

So my best bet is Gelphir's Bonds. It will buy me time while the enemies are paralyzed.

Except there's still trouble. Reinhilde and Auguste will only attack those in their range. Unfortunately, Auguste's range is very short. Reinhilde's range is very long, but she's vulnerable to attacks from up close. Unfortunately, the leader evades my spell, and advances on Reinhilde…

He can easily attack her from behind, and there's nothing she can do to counter.

So now it's a rush to heal Reinhilde while at the same time defeating all the enemies and getting as much Sin as possible.

I choose to not worry about getting the most Sin, but I only just manage to get the highest.

At least I've got what I need.

But there are still some tough enemies here. One of them is a monster that casts magic beams. This monster can also fly, and has a very long range.

It manages to petrify Wylfred and nearly kill Darius. However, it is still defeated by the sorcerers.

Nothing much else gives me trouble, and I speed towards victory.

Except it's not.

Everything is for nothing, as Reinhilde and Auguste pass away. Their last wishes are for their children to follow their hearts, and to disregard the military house they been born into, if they so desire.

Valmur makes one of the most powerful speeches in the entire game, as he states this house has been visited three times by the gods. He then makes a decision that completely develops his character.

He chooses to go to war, and order to stop the conflict.

And who better to go to war with than Wylfred?

So Valmur and his sister join the party.

And I'm left to mull over bad writing.

You see, characters in this game who need to be rescued will always die. This happens whether or not it makes sense in the story (with the exception of one person who will be seen later). So, at the end of the battle, Reinhilde and Auguste were at full health.

But they died anyway.

It's the same outcome as if I lost the battle.

It really doesn't make sense, especially since it seems to be just drama for drama's sake. There's no evidence that any of the characters rescued are wounded in the fights, and they can't die while in the battle.

Furthermore, some scenes also make sense if the characters are still alive.

For example, the request for the children to follow their hearts can still be done if the parents doing it are alive. It could be something like they realize that the conflict within their house can be solved with the children follow their hearts, and choose to watch over the area when they go to war.

It also makes the rescue since very predictable, because the end is clear.

The bad writing continues in this route, because there's a clear indicator that everyone wants to stop the war, and does a good job of tying up loose ends.

However, the A ending never does that, even with Wylfred.

Some of the bloodshed that occurs past here seems to be thrown in, and is again tragedy for tragedy's sake. I feel as if the A and B ending should have been combined somehow, the happy ending of the A route combined with the definite one of the B.

Furthermore, the happy ending of the A route could lead to an alternate timeline for Lenneth, because it's never clarified what happens to her there...

It would be perfect.

Three games.

Three timelines.

And the fourth where all are together.

Unfortunately, that likely won't happen.

But I can dream.

So for now, I await chapter 5, and the end of this path.

But after that, a bit of Fire Emblem: Heroes.

Still trying to level Cherche in that game, but I have enough crystals saved up to max her out right away.

However, I'm not going to do that.

It's worth noting that the new leveling system has some upgrades.

One of which is the ability to switch enemies at the press of a button. Another which is to start at the lowest possible level one can go, and move up until you reach the highest level.

But I'm simply interested in training in the Tower.

There's the usual suspects, and a couple of Light's Blessings.

But eventually, Cherche is as strong as she can go.

And then I put my plan into action.

To complete all of the game's modes.

I'll start with the team I've got, and then if I start struggling, I'll create another one. I will keep going like that until everything is cleared.

Starting with the remaining story maps.

I haven't done some of the later chapters on the harder modes, so I may as well get to it now.

Starting with Chapter 11 Hard Mode.

The battles seem easy enough, with Cherche clearing the entirety of the first one by herself.

And that is, until I get to the third chapter. The third chapter has a bunch of enemy reinforcements, six turns to defend, and a bunch of defensive tiles.

The idea that troops are supposed to stand on the defensive tiles until the assault ends. Flyers can also reunite with their comrades with flying over the mountains separating the two sides. Horsemen will be on their own, however.

I, foolishly, however, rush into attack, thinking I have the advantage.

That turns out not to be the case.

An archer and a mage gang up on Cherche, defeating her. The troops injure Eliwood as well. However, with him being unable to cross the mountains, he has no safe place to retreat to.

Odin is also caught in the middle. He gets to half HP, which triggers his skill that boosts his attack.

He is strong now, but he uselessly flings attacks at Celica. Celica, who happens to be invulnerable using her shield.

Luckily, he manages to retreat to safety.

Gaius is the only one that initially manages to make it to the safe spot. However, enemies quickly follow, and slam him with attacks. Thankfully, the three manage to survive, two being out of range and the other by being in a safer space that boosts defense.

I've cleared half the chapter, but I think that's enough.

Next time, I shall continue, and perhaps clear Hard Mode itself.

**Author's notes:**

**-So the first mention of Valkyrie Profile is here. Valkyrie Profile, while being not a particularly popular series is one of my favorites. Thus, this series is mentioned several times within the blog, and I decided to create Semilockes for the series games. Covenant of the Plume was the easiest to adapt to the Semilocke rules, so I was playing it at the time this blog was written. **

**-The problem of the high Sin requirement is based on something in the game. During each battle, the protagonist, Wylfred, is tasked with gathering Sin for the god Hel. Sin is collected whenever Wylfred and his allies attack enemies after these enemies have been defeated but before the battle ends. The more damage attacks do, the more Sin is collected. Each battle displays an amount of Sin that the player must try to collect, in addition to filling any other conditions required to win the fight. Meeting the Sin requirement awards the player items, with better items being awarded the more Sin the player collects. Not getting the required Sin still allows the player to progress. However, they won't receive any items, and enemies called Realmstalkers will appear in the next battle. Realmstalkers are extremely powerful, much more so than any enemy the player would normally face. The idea is to force the player to sacrifice an ally. This makes said ally extremely strong for that battle, grants them a special power, and automatically fulfills the Sin requirement. However, the ally dies permanently afterward, and Wylfred gains a weaker version of their power to use from then on. It is possible to defeat a Realmstalker without doing any of this, but it's likely the player will suffer many casualties. Regardless, successfully destroying a Realmstalker awards the player with an item called a Chain. The Chain is different for each Realmstalker, but they don't do anything other than serving as proof of the player's victory.**

**-The paths with the different letters is a reference to something in the Valkyrie Profile series. In most of these games, there are multiple endings. The endings are usually denoted by letters, with the A endings being the best one for the characters and going down from there. The different endings can be obtained depending on what actions the player takes. The B ending mentioned here is considered the middle ground, and is only gotten by sacrificing one character in the entire game. The A ending, also mentioned here, is only gotten if the player chooses not to sacrifice anyone, other than the tutorial that explains the sacrifice mechanic. The C ending is gotten if the player sacrifices of their allies throughout the course of the game. Finally, the bad ending, leading to an unwinnable fight and early game over at the end of the current chapter is gotten if one sacrifices two or more allies in chapters 2 through four. Unlike the other endings, it is possible to save and be locked into the bad ending, but thankfully the game gives subtle a warning before the player can go on to it.**

**-The idea of alternate timelines with the different games comes from something that happened in them. The games center around three sisters known as the Valkyries. Each sister is meant to get her own game, and they are all revealed to take place in a different timeline. The first game, Lenneth, takes place in what is considered to be the main timeline. The second game, Silmeria, starts off as a prequel to the first. However, around the game's second half, the game diverges into an alternate timeline and a proper sequel. The Lenneth from the first game also appears, but it's not known what happens to her or her timeline after the game is completed. Covenant of the Plume is a spinoff that takes the games back to the main timeline. It explains some of the events before the first game, and now the mortal world views the Valkyries. However, it has for endings of its own that could potentially all lead to alternative timelines. To make things more confusing, Covenant of the Plume isn't clear what ending led to the first game, since all of them could work.**

**This left fans anticipating a third main game, and a fourth game overall.**

**One starring the eldest sister of the Valkyrie trio, Hrist. **

**That game was so highly anticipated that the characters even make comments about it, with Hrist being mortified that she hasn't received a leading role.**

**And eventually, a fourth game ** _ **did** _ ** happen.**

**But Hrist's leading role never came to be.**

**Instead, the fourth game was called Anatomia, and it was released for mobile devices. However, it led to yet another alternative timeline, and once again centered on Lenneth. This game chose to delve into Lenneth's past in the timeline, also examining a potential path Lenneth never took in the main games and how that affects her character. In addition, the game focuses a lot on the people known as the Aesir, and what their world and lives are like. Despite being a separate timeline, Anatomia establishes that it is part of the Valkyrie Profile universe. Lenneth makes references to her other selves, and it is possible for the player to recruit these other selves. There are also no issues with having multiple versions of Lenneth in the same party.**

**The problem is none of the games in the series did particularly well, and often had long release gaps.**

**Anatomia was released in April of 2016 in Japan. However, it was not released worldwide until ** _ **April 2019.** _

**That's around ** _ **seven years after** _ ** the last installment.**

**Compounding the issue is that a game featuring Hrist would most likely be the final installment in the series, such each of the sisters will have received their own game.**

**With all of this, it's not known if Hrist will ever receive her own game, or if the events of the different timelines will ever come together.**


	30. August 10, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies, and see the author's notes for details.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 10, 2017)**

Back with some more gaming journeys. Started off with experimenting with the function to speed up various games. Works well with some games, but others, not so much. Also worth noting that it distorts the music and I have to play with sound off. Sometimes, the text scrolls by so fast it can be difficult to read. So it's not something I can use all the time, but useful for some situations (such as grinding in Pokémon).

But back to business, and that business I mean the Semilockes. The last Semilocke was Valkyrie Profile, so today I will continue.

As I near the end of the second route, I can only hope the enemies catch up to me…

And they do. Well, sort of.

The enemies are still doing pitiful amounts of damage, but at least they can fight back some. An archer from behind manages to bring Lockswell down to half HP.

And a bunch of enemies getting up on and defeat Lieselotte…

I think the first death of the path, which shows how easy the game has gotten…

Also, Phiona has replaced Darius as my second sword user. She stronger than he is, has all three of her attacks, and does not need to wait for any of them. With her, I can do a full round of attacks with only three people, getting enough Sin to fill the meter.

Her brother isn't as useful, however, and I prefer using two sorcerers over him. At least Lockswell will carry his skills over between paths…

Otherwise, the enemies not are too difficult and I move on to the Crown City.

There's not much for me here, other than an Ether Specter for my second sorcerer.

I quickly move on, and a monster battle comes and goes.

The next battlefield is annoying, with its snow hindering my movement and the high Sin requirement. I decide to wait.

So I turn to playing Fire Emblem Heroes.

And then I find out there is a new Focus. And one of the heroes in the Focus is a character I'm looking for. And her rates are increased.

So I quickly summon as much as I can, until I actually have no orbs left. Unfortunately, the character does not appear.

But now I have a problem.

I have too many characters for my available space, and I don't have the orbs to go get more without spending real money.

So I finally make a fateful decision.

I will use Skill Inherent. It's probably a good idea anyway, seeing as I have so many units I can't even see them all.

But the selection is hard, and it is a bit difficult emotionally, saying goodbye to the Heroes that have been with me since the game's release…

But now's a good time as any. It's only going to get harder as more Heroes that I want are released, and I can't keep spending Orbs forever…

I finally settle on one Hero: Odin.

Odin is a blue mage with hilarious lines and good defenses. However, his attack is lacking, and with Skill Inherent, he's easily outclassed.

But Skill Inherent isn't as simple as I'd like. Units looking to pass on skills still need the prerequisites for them, and the skill I want is at 4*. Currently, Odin is at 3*. So use some of my hard-earned feathers to promote him up and pick a suitable unit for him to pass on his skills to.

And one person is perfect.

Linde.

Linde is an excellent mage, but lacks the spell Blárblade. Due to the game's focus on stats, Blárblade is one of the best spells in the game.

And Linde is finally getting it.

So I level up Odin to prepare him to pass on his skills.

It is expensive, using a lot of my blue shards and some of my feathers. But I hope it will be worth it.

I put Linde and Odin in their places on the skill inherent list.

I select the ones I want.

In a second, Linde has all the skills, and Odin is gone.

It's an odd feeling to say the least.

I wonder if the unit is dead, or if they just went back home after teaching all they could to the other one. It reminds me of something called Transoul, where spirits could pass on their skills to others, but at the cost of their own lives.

The other spirits would express regret that their comrades had to leave, and what made this even sadder was that the other spirits were almost guaranteed to survive and be resurrected at the end of the game (provided the player played their cards right)…

I wonder how many other units I will have to sacrifice to make my strongest team even stronger. It's so odd, a Fire Emblem game encouraging the sacrifice of units, and specifically allowing the player to get attached to them…

Other Fire Emblem games discourage the player from doing that, and use emotional attachment to further that discouragement.

I wonder why this one doesn't, or at least give them a parting message…

Perhaps I will add my own, and make it more like the emotional Transoul.

So now I'm completely out of orbs, and I need to go get more.

I can continue doing quests, as long as I'm not reckless. Some of the easier modes that I haven't cleared can be done as well.

Of course, there's also something else.

The arena.

Without a doubt, that's where I'm headed next.

I could do with some ferocious battles.

But I'm still not strong enough, and go down a Tier.

That means I get less rewards, and have to resort to fighting weaker opponents.

But some rewards is better than none at all.

As for how I got eliminated, a lot of people have dancers, which means it's difficult to see the ending movement range because the game doesn't take into account that they can move twice.

I was also on a forest, and one of my main units is cavalry. Cavalry can't move over forests. On top of that, the enemy team also sported a red mage and a bow user.

My one unit who could fly over the forest and take out enemies is weak to both.

So there was not much I could do with that was quickly defeated.

By a team of Katarina, Faye, Azura, and Effie.

And this was only in the second of seven rounds.

So now I have two options.

Use Skill Inheritance to make my units stronger.

Or training a new team.

It might be worth doing the first before attempting the second, especially because my orbs are low.

But I will save that for after I quest.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**-The comment about Lockswell being able to carry over abilities between paths comes from how Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume gameplay works. Upon completing the game, the player has the option of starting a new file with all weapons, skills, and items carried over. However, most characters will never use what was carried over, since they only appear in a single path. Lockswell is an exception, appearing before the paths split and thus being able to be recruited in all of them. Thus, should the player choose to carry over content from a previously cleared run, Lockswell will be always be able to use that content.**


	31. August 10, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are the property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 10, 2017: Part 2)**

Back with more Fire Emblem Heroes! Off to go questing, in order to summon a specific character and increase my barracks. After that, I may start training other teams. But that will be after my orbs refill.

Speaking of orbs, it's time to go get some.

The orb quests don't take very long, and only a few of the enemies are a challenge. There is a time when Eliwood nearly dies to a horde of archers and magic users, and Cherche nearly dying when she has to try and clear a map full to units by herself.

But at last I amass enough orbs to perform a summoning.

Unfortunately, I am unlucky, getting a 4* Jagen.

Five of which I already have.

I take a less dramatic approach and sent home one of my 3* Gwendolyns, but now I'm in another dilemma.

So I have three options; buying more orbs, waiting a few days, or questing.

I do have enough missions left to remain on Hard mode and get enough orbs do one summon and a barrack expansion. I'm also near completing a quest to defeat level 35 or higher armored units. Said quest also awards five orbs. Right now, the events going on give me 4 orbs a day, but the event that I'm trying to get my character from only lasts a week.

After that, the character returns to normal and it will be difficult to try and summon her again.

Furthermore, orb prices are expensive, with two packs of 25 orbs (a full summon plus five more) costing $30. I most likely wouldn't buy more than that, because I don't want to spend a lot of money on a single game (for something that is luck based, no less).

There's also the upcoming Tempest Trials, which may offer a way to get orbs. However, I would like to be training teams by then, and when I get the character I've been wanting to grab, I believe I can start.

So what to do?

I think my best choice for now is to wait. After a while, I'm finish trying to grab the orbs I can, and see if I can muster enough to get the character I'm looking for. If it's near the end and I still don't have her, I may try using the shop at least once.

After that, I will wait for my Orbs to fill up and resume the game proper.

After a while, I try some of the harder modes and attempt to get orbs. There's nothing worth noting, other than Eliwood getting killed by Charlotte during the wedding mission.

I've gotten all the orbs from the paralouges, but I've only gotten 3* Odin and 4* Gwendolyn. I'm going to proceed with some of the regular battles. I have a few more chances to get orbs…

Well, I've gone through all the free orbs I can and cleared all the quests I can. I'm not about to do the regular quests on Lunatic, but now I've cleared every available mission on Hard.

And I still don't have the character I'm looking for.

And I cleared the quest for the ability to get five orbs as well…

There were some amusing highlights too, such as Eliwood dying to magic when being cornered, and then losing everyone _but_ Eliwood to magic on the very next mission.

There was also one where I actually lost because of turn limits, but only because Delthea decided to hide in a corner…

There was also something where I thought a mission was timed that wasn't. Needless to say, I made some reckless decisions like putting units against other people that were weak against…

There is an event going on where four orbs are awarded daily. To summon someone takes five. I can take advantage of this event for a few days, but when it's up, I have to resort to using real money.

So my options still stand, but I can continue to try.


	32. August 11, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 11, 2017)**

So Fire Emblem: Heroes Tempest Trials has started (or as the fandom knows it, Tempest Torture). My team wasn't as strong the first few times, but now it is as high as it can go. I think I will actually try this time, because the rewards are good, I'm still looking for the Focus Hero, and my team actually stands a chance.

This is also where not having multiple teams ready for battle works directly against me. The way Tempest Trial works is that players are allowed a set number of teams, with more teams and battles depending on the difficulty. The battles are fought in a row, without stopping. Any damage to the player's units is not healed in between battles. Once a player's team is defeated, they must either use another team, or surrender. However, opponents also do not heal if the player decides to select another team.

Each time the Tempest Trial is attempted, a score is earned. The score is based on the difficulty of the maps, how fast the player can clear them, and how many people have survived (this also takes the use of multiple teams into account). The player also earns extra points if certain units are used, and can earn extra points for the first two tries. Points are awarded regardless if the player wins or loses, but a smaller amount of points are awarded if the player loses. These points also make up a cumulative score, with more rewards being awarded depending on that score. The event lasts for two weeks.

I decide my team is strong enough to take in the harder difficulties, and greedily select the hardest difficulty I can find.

That turned out to be a mistake.

My units were heavily injured in what I thought was the last map.

However, I progressed to the final map, and was completely annihilated by Sonya and her forces…

But I won't give up. The Tempest Trial has some good rewards, including precious Orbs…

I still have no luck summoning, so I need all the help I can get.

In the meantime, I will get items for my Semilocke in Pokemon Gold. I am using a file of Pokémon Crystal, where 100% of the game has been completed.

Unlike with my summoning, I am lucky. Right now I'm breeding, because one of the items is a Pokémon. I am lucky and get it in three tries. The Pokémon? A female Dratini. I reset my game to put her back in her egg. She will be placed in storage until it is time. Her siblings are hatched, so I can find her easier. She has about eight of them. I'm not sure what I will use them for, but I will think of something.

My next step is the elemental punches. One of the recent members of the Semilocke needs them, but that file is to low on money to buy them. However, they are an easy purchase here.

My last item requires Game Corner coins. Unfortunately, I don't yet have enough money to go get it. I get about halfway there, but halfway is not enough.

So my only recourse is to beat the Elite Four again and again until I have the money. It's tedious at best, but it will be worth it.

Another run of Tempest Trials awaits though.

I've decided that I will try and get my team up to 8000 points. There are prizes beyond that, but it's unrealistic to think that my team can get them, seeing as they can only get about 300 points. Getting to 8000 points nets me six orbs in total. Although the new bonuses may make it worthwhile to go a little further. We shall see.

Also, got into a battle where I was a bit reckless. I sent Cherche after an armored unit, but also got right into the range of a magic user… Same thing happened when I sent Eliwood after Sonya. He got attacked by Sully, who has the advantage and can attack twice.

Thankfully, both units survived, but it was close.

With that, I will return to the Elite Four. If I complete that, the Pokémon Gold Semilocke can continue normally the next time I record. I'll probably mention my results in the next entry.

But for now, a break.


	33. August 12, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 12, 2017)**

And I'm back with another post. Today, I will continue to head to Tempest Trials to get to 3000 points. That should give me another shot at summoning.

On a side note, the Flight Rising Semilocke is going on for least a little while. Unfortunately, it's training, so there's not much to report on… Leveling is still extremely slow, so it will be a while before anything happens…

Speaking of leveling, I just finished a session of the Pokémon Emerald classic Nuzlocke. I'll be training there as well… And of course having fun with the speedup button…

But first, I will see how the Tempest Trial battles go. I still have both of my doubling boosts, so I should get a lot of points if I do well.

The first battle is close… Eliwood is injured from having to do an entire battle on his own. Gaius is also injured from tough foes in the battle before that. In the final battle, my units are cornered by magic users…

Cherche and Odin are the only two units are not injured at this point. Furthermore, there's a lot of blue units, which Cherche is strong against.

However, Eliwood is the only unit who can reliably take out Sonya. Unfortunately, she is reinforced by Jagan, who can defeat Eliwood in one hit. I have to make it so Jagan cannot attack before taking down Sonya…

I send Odin to take down an armored unit, and Cherche deals with one of the lance users. However, Odin is now wide open to an attack from Sonya.

Predictably, he takes massive damage.

There's also the other magic user, Delthea, who is a problem. She can do massive damage even with weapon triangle disadvantage, because Cherche can't resist magic… She's also strong enough to take down Odin by herself at this point, because he got injured by Sonya.

Odin himself can take down Jagan, but Eliwood is now in range. He can destroy either Sonya or Delthea, but not both.

So there's a chance I will lose a unit here, and my score will be lowered…

Quickly, I move to take down Sonya. Cherche pursues Delthea, but I know it is not enough.

I hold my breath.

It seems I will lose someone…

But Delthea attacks Cherche.

I have no idea why. Perhaps she had the lowest resistance…

Regardless, I quickly seize the advantage and defeat her.

Now I get full points in the battle, nearly doubling my overall score. There's not that much left before I reach 3000 points…

But I may not need to.

Daily quests that require defeating certain enemies are still going on, and one of them awards an Orb.

Thanks to fighting in the Tempest Trials, I can easily reach it with just a run of the Training Tower.

It's also worth noting that the event is still live on Sunday. Thanks to all the orb bonuses, Sunday automatically gives a free summon (since one orb is earned every time a player logs in on a Sunday, and four orbs are being awarded due to events right now).

Regardless, I hop over to the Training Tower to get my next Orb.

After getting it easily, I am excited to summon…

And no blue orbs appear, so I can't summon the character I'm looking for.

Instead I head for the green orb. The Focus has Heroes of all colors, and the green character was my second pick…

But I don't get her, either. Instead I get a character called Hawkeye. He is a good character, a new character, and a 4*. So he's worth keeping around. Not to mention that every time the player summons, there's a higher chance of getting a 5*. That chance either resets after 120 summons without a 5* (since the chance of getting one is guaranteed at that point), or whenever a 5* unit is summoned.

So all my tries are worth something, at least.

But for now I will take a break. More summoning awaits me later. Probably.


	34. August 13, 2017

**Welcome to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are the property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys a Wheeling Gamer (August 13, 2017)**

Good time for another Semilocke! This one's Pokémon Gold. There might be some Flight Rising and Emerald regular Nuzlocke as well, but those are mostly training.

Now for Pokemon Gold, I need to finish beating up the Elite Four in my complete game for money. A bit tedious, but shouldn't take long.

And it takes longer than expected, seeing as I have to beat them twice.

But I got what I wanted, the TM for Thunder. Now I can record normally.

Except it looks like I forgot to save my progress. Now I have to mimic what I did do. I guess I will only be recording if something is radically different.

Although I am planning on redoing the Underground portion, seeing as I made a lot of stupid mistakes there. The only thing worth noting is that I'm not planning on using the Coin Case as much, and as such, will probably have a little more money. I also have more healing items, so I may not spend as much money on them.

It actually works out well considering the mistakes made in Goldenrod, and it's easy to integrate them into the story.

But it's still annoying. I may record a little extra so that there's some progress…

At least it's better than the game crashing… Used to happen all the time with this, and actually happened on screen in one of the games. Thankfully, I had saved before then.

This also means that I made a mistake with Spyro Re's death. The death box is the final box, but if I forgot to save, then Spyro Re was accidentally deposited among regular Pokémon.

I will be sure to fix that this time.

And I do, as most of the scenarios go almost exactly the same as they were the last time. Spyro Re still dies, to exact same Pokémon in the exact same manner. Psyche Re dies in the exact same manner as she did previously, again to the exact same Pokémon.

There are few differences though.

One is that I was able to hang on to the Super Potion I got at Slowpoke Well. Another change was completely accidental, as I was looking for Pineco and needed a male. However, I accidentally caught a female instead. I give it the same name and decided the narrative would treat it as male. Pyra, the male Drowzee, had an increase in level, because finding a Pokémon with the correct gender and level was difficult. His level increased from 10 to 12.

Silver's battle went quite differently. Rather than biding his time and attacking, Silver instead goes for an all-out offense. Therefore, Magikarp doesn't participate in the battle at all, and try as I might, I cannot keep Bellsprout in. Rattata deals the final blow instead, and I end up using all my potions to keep Bellsprout alive. At least the catches go better, and I have many Balls left.

So I'm now near the area where it was originally at. Goldenrod is just to the north of me, and then after that, a second try at the Underground. My next thing will be training, and doing Kenya's errand.

But I will save that for little while later.

Because I'd like to try some of Fire Emblem: Heroes.

I got enough orbs to do a summon, but I was still unlucky. Tempest Trials continues to go on, and I have not used either of my chances for double points.

However, I am looking at one other area to get orbs in.

Lunatic difficulty.

The dreaded Lunatic is one of the hardest modes in any Fire Emblem, and built for very specific teams. Even when I had the strongest team I could, I took heavy damage.

But I will try anyway.

The payout is worth it.

My first try is Paralouge 9, which currently offers additional orbs. Unfortunately, all units must survive.

Despite playing carefully, I am unable to fulfill the second requirement.

Corrin as a flying unit is too difficult to counter, and she flies over to Eliwood, defeating him.

She then does the same to Odin, who is injured from Elise. However, I'm still able to defeat the enemies, such as Elise being defeated by Eliwood.

Other highlights include Cherche and Gaius teaming up to defeat a sword flier. When there are only two units left, they also work together to lure in Corrin and defeat her.

Xenolouge 2 is also one of the easier paralouges, and it offers three orbs rather than the usual one. I clear it simply by using color matchups, although Eliwood is injured by Ursula.

However, my summoning still doesn't have much luck, and I only summon another Cherche…

Perhaps I will take a break for now. I need something a little less frustrating.

But I will be back for the Trials.


	35. August 13, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are the property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 13, 2017: Part 2)**

Back with more from the Gold Semilocke. Headed for the Goldenrod Underground, but decided not to record. It's as simple as not getting Hoothoot involved in anything… Instead I use Bellsprout to carry me through the entire thing… Growth and Vine Whip are a deadly combination, at least in this game…

After that, I get all of my items from my complete run, including a female Dratini. She hatches as the replacement for Psyche and in place of what can be found at the Game Corner. Interesting thing happens after I hatch her and re-hatch Togepi.

Day turns to night.

What this means is that there's interesting extra battle in the game that activates now. It's only at night, and is against a police officer and his Growlithe. It's also one of two battles of its kind to appear in the game.

I take the challenge.

However, I have only two battle ready Pokémon on my team at that time; Hoothoot and Gastly. Therefore, I decide to treat it as a regular battle. Gastly faints immediately to a Bite but Hoothoot uses Mud Slap to survive. She also combines that with Peck.

Although she still needs a lot of healing items.

However, since I didn't spend my money on coins this time, I should have enough to buy more.

But that's beside the point.

Now I must allow the Spearow, Kenya, to finish her errand. But that will take longer than anticipated, seeing as I must take the long way around the forests and caves.

I will probably save it for next time.

Now is the time to complete the Tempest Trials.

A few interesting things happening here. One is Eliwood getting injured by multiple strikes. Another is Odin getting ganged up on by Sonya and Linde, eventually getting defeated.

Nevertheless, I got my second set of orbs from the Trials. Now I just need one more to summon…

And more Lunatic maps sound like just the ticket.

My next destination is the wedding paralogue.

Except I can't seem to clear it.

Caeda's attack completely devastates my team, with my only person strong against blue being weak to her magic. She also takes out Odin this way.

After that, I quickly surrender.

My next shot is Katarina's map, where I fare little better. She rearranges her units in such a way that all the ones my units are weak to are in position to attack me. There's no way I can do damage back, either.

Swiftly there is another retreat.

Yet later on, there's hope.

I try the beach map for Yilsse. Finally, things begin to turn around, but only just.

Eliwood takes out Tiki, but suffers massive damage. Corrin finishes him off in the following turn.

My other units try to retreat but they are against a sword flier, a thief with a Smoke Dagger, and Corrin.

Gaius gets stuck in range and manages to weaken the thief, and he defeats him in the following turn. However, he is then defeated by the sword flier.

So that leaves Cherche and Odin. Cherche can't take on the sword flier by herself, but Odin also can't harm him. The combined force of Corrin and her sword flier can also take out my units.

So what am I to do?

I send Odin in to weaken Corrin. Cherche finishes her off. However, the sword flier is now in range. He attacks Odin.

The sword flier might have the disadvantage, but he does massive damage. However, this damage is so much that Odin activates a skill to raise his attack. With that skill, he can finally do damage back.

And he does. Quite a lot. This allows Cherche to finish things.

I walk over with my hard-earned orbs to do a summon. However, there are no blue orbs to be found. So again I picked green.

But there's no Julia. Instead it's Sheema of Gra.

I like Sheema, and she's a four-star, so she's worth keeping around.

But I still have such bad luck… And it may take me around two days to summon again…

Hopefully my luck turns around…


	36. August 14, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 14, 2017)**

Back with Pokémon Gold again. Hopefully no more save file fiascoes…

So last time, I started Kenya's errand but did not complete it. I'm going to complete now. It will earn me another catch.

And it does. My catch is a Mareep. Should be useful, even though it's slow.

I make it back to Goldenrod in less time than I thought. Now is the time to train.

But the wild Pokémon are fierce. I'm also in an awkward position where the wild Pokémon on the road south of Goldenrod are too strong for the majority of my team. However, the Pokémon in Ilex are weak, and will not offer much experience.

Good thing Semilocke rules protect Pokémon that are in training.

The first to go out is Abra. However, he starts having trouble. The main Pokémon here are Drowzee and Rattata. Both have high attack stats to tear through Abra's low defense. Furthermore, both have ways to get around its high speed. Rattata knows Quick Attack to strike first. Drowzee knows Hypnosis, something that can shut Abra down for a few turns while it attacks with Pound. Neither of them can be taken out in one hit.

So Abra has some issues, but finally finishes training.

And then something happens.

The first evolution of the run.

Abra joyfully evolves into Kadabra.

And one trade with Pokémon Stadium 2, and evolves again into Alakazam.

I now have access to my first final stage Pokémon in the game, and one of the most powerful Psychic Types.

If only I don't get hit first.

But there are others to train.

Like my Mareep.

My Mareep first has difficulty, having to resort to getting experience from already weakened enemies. However, he eventually becomes stronger, with decent defense to weather attacks for enemies.

However, something else happens.

He evolves into Flaffy.

It was earlier than I expected, but with this, he should have even more power.

And the final Pokémon I try to train is Spearow.

Spearow can defeat almost everything in Illex, but eventually they start giving less experience.

That's when there are issues.

The issues come from one Pokémon. Drowzee.

Drowzee has a move called Disable. What this move does is make it so that the last move used is unavailable for several turns. Unfortunately, I tend to use my strongest attack constantly.

For Spearow, this is an issue. My way of battling means that my strongest attack is often hit with Disable.

And Spearow only has one attack, Peck.

What this means is that I'm unable to attack for several turns while Drowzee either attacks back or incapacitates me with Hypnosis.

Eventually, Spearow does gain some levels, but with difficulty.

So I decide to turn to something else.

Like Fire Emblem: Heroes.

The game will be receiving a new update tomorrow. This update plans to explore the world of Sacred Stones. It's not that surprising, given that the next great Hero Battle will be the infamous Valter. I do wish it involves the main story, and not just a side mission. Hopefully there is new information…

Yet that also means new hope for orbs.

The side missions have three missions with three difficulties. Each rewards an orb upon completion. Since I'm clearing the normal and hard difficulties with my regular team, I have a chance to earn six orbs.

Combined with the daily event and the two orbs remaining from Tempest Trials, I have a chance to earn almost 15 orbs. That's enough for three more chances at the character I'm seeking. Two orbs will also be awarded tomorrow after my performance in the arena.

However, complicating matters is a new focus with Sacred Stones characters. This Focus will clash with the last Focus, running as that Focus ends.

Unfortunately, the last Focus is the one that contains the character I'm looking for.

But all I can do is continue trying.

For now, the Trials await.

They are not very interesting this time around.

What's interesting is what comes after them.

A new Hero joins me, Clive. He's a blue lance cavalier, and one of the few units exclusive to the Tempest Trials. Of the exclusive units, he's so far the only one that functions like a normal unit, instead of relying on the skills of others to perform.

Also, tomorrow, the mysterious warrior Legion appears again. I wasn't strong enough to take him on the first time, but perhaps I will be now.

But Fire Emblem: Heroes isn't the only game to receive an update.

Flight Rising is also received an update in the form of a new Coliseum venue. This one is called Blooming Fields. My party is far stronger than the venue, which occurs at the first quarter of the game. My party is a little more than halfway through the game. However, I'm putting it with the Semilocke anyway, as I promised I would visit every venue. Besides, knowing where I am in the game it should be good training.

So for now I continue to train, and await the results of the updates.


	37. August 15, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 15, 2017)**

And the Wheeling Gamer returns! This time with more Fire Emblem: Heroes. Let's see with happening with the new update.

So it seems the new update not only gives me new missions but also a free summon. May as well use it…

And seems the free summon only applies to new Foci… Oh well, I'll use it later.

Unfortunately, I don't get any blue orbs this time, and summon Roy. I already have him, but his intro is cool, at least…

Off to the new Grand Hero Battle. Or rather, the revival of an old one. I'm facing Legion on the lower difficulty. I don't dare go any higher.

The first battle starts out fine. I take advantage of the defensive tiles, and defeat the mages. They are weak, and there is a blue one that can destroy Eliwood.

Not to mention that I need Eliwood to face Legion. All of them.

Yes, doing well, until the reinforcements arrive. They come from behind, so my units are scrambling to get to a safe spot. On top of that, thanks to clones, Legion is advancing from both sides.

Unfortunately, Eliwood is in the upper right part of the map, and nowhere near where he needs to be to be able to help…

So with a desperate scramble as my units take damage. Legion does massive damage almost everyone, including Eliwood. Furthermore, he has the skill Panic, which means that any stat increases are turned to decreases. Unfortunately, my team relies heavily on stat increases.

It's a bad situation, but somehow I manage to get the enemies down to a blue lance cavalier by holding the defensive tiles.

However, things aren't still aren't looking good.

Legion is able to do a massive amount of damage to Gaius even on the defensive tiles, injuring him heavily. The blue cavalier also does damage, and he only survives because of the defensive tiles.

However, Gaius cannot take out the cavalier in one hit, and he's weakened enough for the cavalier to destroy him.

Gaius quickly dies, and I lose.

But I am not defeated just yet.

My second battle goes more successfully.

Instead of focusing on the mages (other than the blue mage at the start), I decide to focus on Legion.

The reason being is that my distance units can weaken him from other units to finish off. That makes sure I don't rely on Eliwood, who will be at the other side of the map no matter what I do. The other mages are weak enough so that even if my units are not standing on a defensive tile, they cannot do enough damage.

I also don't try to hold the defensive tiles, because while they are useful, they're right in the line of fire. This is exactly what I don't want. Furthermore, Legion comes from below those tiles, and I want to focus on him. Having units injured while on the tiles isn't as much of an issue because with Legion gone, I can use my stat buffs as needed.

This battle goes more successfully, although there is an archer that takes advantage of the defensive tiles. However, he is quickly taken out after making the mistake of weakening Gaius. Gaius, when weakened, gets a massive boost to his attack power, one that takes out the archer even on a defensive tile.

After that, I try to retreat my injured units back to the lower corner of the map. With Legion and his reinforcements clear, it's a safe place to go.

However, one unit remains.

That pesky lance knight.

However, this time, I am ready.

He's headed for Eliwood, so I get him out of the way.

After that, I slowly let the lance knight come where my other units are waiting.

One blow from Cherche is enough to finish the battle.

And with that, Legion is mine.

But there is more to this update, and I'm about to explore it.

And I do.

It seems I get more info about Veronica, and Seth questions what she's doing. Veronica seems to be confused, even in the heat of her possession… Perhaps is more to her than what was originally thought…

And I finally get to Loki again. I was hoping I would see her.

Yes, her.

A traditionally male figure is female in this version. Or at least implied to be. She takes the form of Anna, and finds it comfortable. The Japanese version drives her gender home further, by having her use pronouns are typically used with females.

I find it interesting, but seeing as it is Loki, it would make sense. Loki was able to change his gender in the original myths, so it would make sense that this one would remain comfortable in another form.

Speaking of which, Loki was hinted to be the one behind everything, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Loki apparently serves a king, and is offering Veronica the king's power if she does things for her. Furthermore, a lot of the things she's asking Veronica to do give her king power.

Once Loki's king has enough power, he can destroy Askr.

Which is apparently exactly what Veronica wants. It's unknown if her reason for wanting to destroy Askr is something other than jealousy, but it's there nonetheless. I guess I'll find out more as the story advances.

I should talk about the battles now. Unfortunately, they're nothing special. They are meant for people at the beginning of the game, and my team is at the end. Even the hard mode battles aren't that tough.

They consist of a defensive mission and two regular ones. However, defeating all the enemies ends the defense of mission early.

Which is exactly what I do.

At least I walk away with some orbs.

But I still have no luck.

I only wind up summoning Mae and Catria.

I've got only one more chance. After getting the orbs from Tempest Trials and daily events tomorrow, there's not much more I can do.

At least I got some good units, and I still have a chance to get the one I'm looking for later.

But it will be much more difficult.


	38. August 16, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 16, 2017)**

Back with another entry, and I'm excited! One of my games just received an update, after over a year of having nothing… This means I will finally be able to play it again after completing the last update… As for game it is, I'll keep it a secret, but I will say this blog will have entries with finishing what I have and starting a new playthrough to experience all the new content.

So far, I did a little test run and I like what I've seen. However, the new graphics cause a lot of lagging…

It's still worth playing though, but that will be for later…

Last night, I was able to do some training on the Flight Rising Semilocke. I now have a lot of money things to treasure chests from familiars. Now I just need to gain levels.

But an update has come for levels too. My dragons are finally reaching level 17. Level 17 is an important level because it's when dragons can equip the best items in the game. These items are known as Berserker and Scholar. Berserker and Scholar give massive boosts to physical and magic users, respectively. And in a game where offense is almost everything, the boosts are vital. Not to mention these stones are relatively inexpensive compared to other high-level equipment one can purchase.

One of my dragons, Redshoulder, has already gotten three of the boosts.

Now I just need to focus on the other two.

And I managed to get one of them up. Now Tarkin is all set. I've used up a lot of time, though, so I will do some more in the coming days.

Training may be slow, but to its credit, Flight Rising has gotten me interested in other MMOs. However, I am unsure if my computer will be able to run them, seeing as it has quite a bit of trouble running Flight Rising as is. Something more demanding than Flight Rising may be too much for it. There's also the matter of my Internet being limited. Flight Rising doesn't take up too much of my Internet time, but who's to say what other MMOs could do?

I have heard of one of the MMOs I'm interested in being possibly released on the Switch, and I do plan on getting one eventually. So I may wait for that.

But that's neither here nor there.

Instead, I want to focus on the game that got updated earlier.

This game is called Pokémon Insurgence.

Despite its name, Pokémon Insurgence is not an official Pokémon title. Instead, it is a fan made game created using the program RPG Maker. Also, like most Pokémon fan games, it is darker than the games it is based off of and much more difficult.

However, Pokémon Insurgence had a troubled production.

The game started as a beta, with lots of glitches and only three Gym Badges. Eventually the game was upgraded to six Gym Badges. However, glitches still remained and the final game was delayed. However, days ago, the final product released. Users could take their beta saves and continue from where they left off, although it was recommended to restart the game and or to experience new content.

I'm planning on using a save that I had from the beta and completing it. After that, I may do a new file to see all the added content.

Emphasis on _may._

This game, while interesting, is flawed, which may prevent me from playing it constantly like the main games.

But that will be for later when I complete it.

For now, I will focus on what I have.

Currently, I'm doing a run called an Egglocke. This type of run is a challenge where the player receives a bunch of eggs, but has no idea what they will hatch into. Every time Pokémon is caught, it is swapped for one of the eggs. As the name implies, this type of run is also often combined with a Nuzlocke. However, Insurgence makes that optional, so I am not doing the Nuzlocke version of that run. This is because it is my first time playing through the game, and because it is already difficult.

Usually players get eggs themselves, but since Insurgence is meant to be played as a standalone game, the player has two options. One of which is to generate their own eggs, and the other is to use a set of eggs that the game gives them. I've chosen the second option because I don't have the knowledge to generate my own eggs.

Furthermore, all Pokémon generated in Insurgence have a distinct advantage. Their stats at their base level are as high as one can go. While the stats are still influenced by the player and the battles they get into, this means that many of these Pokémon will be much stronger than what they would normally be at the same level.

And in Insurgence, I need all the strength I can get.

I mentioned that Insurgence was darker than the typical Pokémon game, so I should probably mention the story. The basic story is that Insurgence takes place in a region called Torren. Torren is terrorized by cults, who will do anything to achieve their goals. Most of these cults want the power of a legendary Pokémon, but not everyone has succeeded. The cults are held back by someone called the Auger, who is aided by their own legendary Pokémon.

However the current Auger has gone missing. Needless to say, the cults have taken advantage of his disappearance, and the whole region lives in fear.

One man, Jarren, has taken up the mantle of the Auger. He wanders around, trying to fight back against the cults, and look for his missing predecessor.

However, he is not who the story is about.

No, the story is about an unnamed person (who, in my case, is female). This person has been captured by the Cult of Darkari. The cult erases the protagonist's memories of everything except their name, and plans to kill them.

However, they are rescued by the legendary Pokémon Mew, and with it, escape the base. Later on, they find out they are one of the ones chosen to fight back against the cults. From there, they meet two more chosen children, Damien and Nora. With the current Auger's blessings, the trio goes on a Pokémon journey, and hopes to stop the cults…

But not everything is as it seems.

And so my journey through Torren continues. This time, until the end…

But I will save more details for next time.


	39. August 16, 2017: Part 2

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 16, 2017: Part 2)**

So I'm back with more gaming adventures. This time, with the game I mentioned before, Pokémon Insurgence.

So after continuing this game after over a year, I'm not quite sure where to go. The last city I ended up that was called Selene, so I guess I'll go there. North of the city was where the last update ended.

Heading to the north gets me into an area called the Dragon Ruins. I don't see any dragons, but there are wild starters… Too bad I can't use them…

Oh, I should probably go over the team I _can_ use. My team is currently levels 60 to level 66. They consist of Dragonite, Kelfki, Chesnaught, Stunfisk, Ninetales, and Girafarig. Since the last update ended at the sixth gym, I currently have six badges.

Not knowing really where to go, I head to the east of the ruins. But before I can advance to the next area, I'm treated to a cutscene.

This cutscene involves the man I mentioned before, Jarren. That's right, the beloved Augur.

Except he's not really beloved. It's revealed earlier that he killed the first Augur, and took the title for himself. The reason is that the first Auger showed mercy to his enemies, and spared those who seemed repentant. However, those who were repentant when on to join other cults, and it only made the situation worse. At this time, Jarren is the leader of one of the cults, Sky. He's also trying to summon Rayquaza, and has done so successfully by the time the player gets the third Badge.

But Jarren's goals don't stop there. Jarren believes that since the first Augur was not successful, mercy has no place in the world. Instead, he plans to take over the world and ruling with an iron fist. He's trying to summon Rayquaza in order to eliminate the crime in the world by bringing its power down on his enemies.

Oh, and he also kidnapped the protagonist, bringing them to Persephone. As for why, it's not known.

I have a feeling I'll find out soon…

Unfortunately, we can't tell anyone any of this, because the world still sees him as the current Augur.

But I wonder how long that is going to last…

Anyway, right now Jarren appears to be in a world he does not recognize. Apparently, there's also other people there, but neither Jarren nor the player knows who they are. Jarren asks if they are cultists, searching for the power of Giratina. However, the mysterious people assure him that they aren't.

Jarren talks about getting the shard from the first Augur's crystal, but the other people now say it is useless. Jarren is flustered, and they tell him to have a safe trip home. Meanwhile, he won't remember any of what just happened.

And Icontinue on my journey. I enter the next route, battling a Trainer with all three original Eevee evolutions. However, she is difficult, being higher level than me. Furthermore, her Vaporeon nearly defeats my Stunfisk. Hydro Pump and Muddy Water do a lot of damage…

It's at that point that I realize I'm low on healing items, and decide to head back to the city.

And the Trainers are as merciless as I remember…

One of them injures my Chesnaught, although I don't exactly remember how.

Another has an Azumarril that nearly kills my Dragonite. Thankfully it only used Double Edge…

But I make it to the next town.

Right away something suspicious is going on… The Gym Leader, Zachary, is acting strange. He talks about an infection involving Deoxys. There were cases of this infection right before last update ended, including Damien, one of the main characters.

But now apparently they have a vaccine for it, and Zachary is encouraging anyone who is acting suspicious to go get vaccinated. Anyone is acting normal should report those who need to get vaccinated.

Except something still doesn't add up.

It's implied that not a lot time has passed since the first symptoms of infection were seen, and the time up to now.

So how could they have developed a vaccine for something so early on?

Regardless, may as well go visit. Place seems to be popular…

But it's all a trap. It's actually run by cultists, who want to do something sinister with the virus's power…

After heading into a back room, I see exactly what…

They can use the virus to induce a state similar to mind control, and they do so to a helpless old woman.

She attacks me.

Luckily her Psychic Type team isn't that hard to be. The worst thing is her Alakazam with Future Sight. Well, and a Gengar with Destiny Bond. At least I'm not playing on a Nuzlocke…

After that, everyone seems to evacuate the place, and I had to the east. Apparently, I'm searching for some sort of satellite tower…

However, I guess my travels there will wait for a while.

The reason is because the update is so new, there aren't a lot of guides out. I've heard of a lot of people having difficulties where I'm heading.

I think I will wait until there are more guides out. But that will be a couple days, at least.

It was good to get back to this game in the meantime, though.


	40. August 17, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 17, 2017)**

So I can't seem to stop my impulse to play Insurgence. Good thing I am close the end... Probably some training on the Pokémon Gold Semilocke as well.

So it appears there's a problem that the satellite tower, and I have to stop it. Turning to the tower, the Trainers are tough as usual. But I'm stocked up on healing items, so it's not as much of an issue.

And it looks like the person in charge wants me to investigate something inside of the broadcast tower…

So I make my way up. But there are many complex puzzles along the way… They're similar to what one would find in the Ruins of Alph in the main Pokémon games. Luckily, someone was nice enough to create a guide for these…

And I finally find the problem.

It's something called a Delta Pokémon. In this particular species, a Cyndaquil.

Delta Pokémon are basically Alolan forms before they came into existence. They are Pokémon of a different type than normal, having different combat abilities as a result. Apparently, something like this existed in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, which is where the creator got the idea.

Nevertheless, Delta Pokémon feature in all his work. They also play major parts in the stories.

Delta Pokémon have a few differences from what's seen in the main games. Delta Pokémon are the result of a man-made mutation, and cannot breed. They're treated as a separate species by the game, and are required for completing the Pokedex. Finally, Delta Pokémon have their cries reversed.

This one is a Delta Cyndaquil. This means it is an Electric Type, and has lightning on its head instead of fire.

There's just one problem: it's at level 12, when my Pokémon are more than five times that.

So I start chucking Balls like no tomorrow. However, since I can't weaken it, the thing refuses to stay in.

However, I finally realize my Ninetales can safely burn it, and manage to catch the thing.

Then it's off to the next town.

There, I meet up with Nora, one of the chosen trainers. Her Pokémon is Celebi. It appears the Gym Leader in this town is another chosen trainer, but Nora doesn't seem to want to trust him. His Pokémon is Manaphy.

He invites us to meet at a nearby mountain, and we have no choice but to oblige. He also mentions that he is from the Aroma region, and another Trainer from there was chosen by Victini.

Right away, this is significant.

Why?

Because Aroma is one of the regions in the creator's previous works, and Victini is one of the mascot Pokémon in said works.

I wonder who the Trainer could be? Is this a protagonist from one of the previous works? They do get a chance to meet Victini…

Time to head up the mountain and find out.

Or try to head up the mountain. It seems a checkpoint's blocking the way, and I can't head there right now.

However, I can't seem to find out where I _do_ need to head.

What's a Pokémon game me without getting lost?

After running around like a madman, I finally find out that someone has begun uploading gameplay at last… Finally, I have those guides I need…

And I'm grateful for them. It seems I need to go in the opposite direction that I was going… I hadn't even noticed there was water to the south of the town…

And I head into this place called Crystal Cave.

Only to get lost again.

The idea is to get to the bottom of the cave, but there are a bunch of rocks blocking the way.

And nowhere to get around them. Frustrated, I run around the cave, hoping for some solution.

Finally, I find it.

The player has the ability to use Tesseract, a move which warps them through time. The move is used to change objects around, and get to areas the player normally would not be able to get to.

Like getting to the end of the cave without having problems with the stones.

After that, I finally have my meeting.

With the king of the Aroma region from the last game.

Can't say I didn't expect this.

The king is the only logical choice. The player has the option of betraying everyone in the last game, and otherwise, they aren't too interested in the saving the world again after what they do in the last game… The only other important people are the Gym Leaders, and they seem concerned with preserving the peace there… Well, there's the secret characters at the end, but I don't know where they are from, and they're not exactly people with the best of intentions…

But enough about that. It's time for the meeting.

Or rather a huge info dump. It's interesting, because this meeting implies that both the bad path and the Zeta path of the first games are canon… It would make sense, but that's only considering my headcanon…

I wonder what would actually make the player take the bad ending of the previous work…

Perhaps we'll find out.

Anyway, it appears that the king and a few other people were tasked with protecting crystals. For that, the king left his position in his home region. However, recent events made things worse for the protectors, and eventually they scattered.

As for why they had to protect the crystals, it was the will of Arceus.

And the pixies that they are now allied with are the messengers.

The crystals contain great power, but they must not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. Apparently, someone else's after the crystals, and I have to protect them from these forces.

But eventually I must head back, and get the seventh Badge.

It's a rain team, but it goes down easily.

Well, not without some struggles.

The Leader's ace is a Politoed that can Mega Evolve into something that looks like a genie with a storm cloud… It does a lot of damage, but Stunfisk takes it down easily enough with Thunderbolt. His next Pokémon, a Dragonite, is not as easy. I send out Klefi and attack it with Play Rough. However, it is has an Assault Vest.

And Earthquake.

I'm rapidly destroyed, but I send out my own Dragonite.

Good thing it taught an Ice Custom Move. The foe is down in one more hit.

There are more water Pokémon, but Stunfisk's Thunderbolt and Chesnaut's Seed Bomb quickly take care of them. A Helioisk shows up, but Stunfisk destroys it.

There's also a Goodra, but a revived Klefki with Play Rough defeats it.

And the battle is over.

But trouble still lurks. Seems like one of the cults has the ability to brainwash others.

And it's taking full advantage of the town. Now almost everyone that can fight is trying to get at the Gym Leader. And I am the only one who can stop what's happening.

That might be for some time later, though.

I've taken a look at some of what lies ahead, and not as impressed by what I see. Therefore, I may be taking a break from this game. I'll probably still finish it though.


	41. August 18, 2017

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**Journeys of the Wheeling Gamer (August 18, 2017)**

Today is a great day for Kirby it seems. So let's get to it.

Last time, I cleared one of the levels in the fourth area, but missed a crystal near the end.

Of course, I'm going back for it. But I'm using my little friend the Gameshark to speed things up. Since I'm not using save states, any death slows the search down significantly.

So I'm going to use my infinite HP cheat before I reach the area, and that way I won't have any deaths.

Except it looks like things will not go as easily as I thought.

Some games have certain precautions if the player uses codes. Others will let the player use a few codes, but not a lot.

In Kirby's case, trying to use a bunch of codes makes it so Kirby cannot progress past an area even though he can clear it. He also can't progress backwards.

I'm guessing the reason for this is that the game is trying to load the infinite lives, but is unable to.

Guess I'm doing this the legitimate way.

Luckily, I manage to do it easily. On to the next area.

The next area is nowhere near as tedious as the first. The first room has lot on which I must jump over, and falling rocks. The falling rocks are difficult to avoid, but I still have my drill power.

Said power allows me to move at a faster speed, and also destroy any rocks that do not come from behind. With that, I am able to clear the place.

The next area has a lot of fire enemies, and magma. Small platforms are here, and in between them, enemies jump out of lava. I believe I can inhale them for fire powers, but I don't want them right now.

There's another big thing here; moving platforms. Moving platforms, as I mentioned in previous entries, can make me dizzy. Luckily, these move slower.

However, they also blend in with the background.

Therefore, it's difficult to make out what is a moving platform and what isn't.

As a result, I almost miss a moving platform, and almost take damage.

There's also an area in the room where there are two moving platforms. Kirby has to leap on the second moving platform before the first moves away. Luckily, I hear them before I see them, so I'm able to jump at the right time.

However, platforms aren't the only things to worry about in this room. There also enemies from the air. They will drop fire, which can damage Kirby and even knock him off a platform.

I do take some damage, but thanks to the slow platforms and the noise they make, I pass through the room easily.

My next segment will be with a blue penguin.

That blue penguin's name: Dedede.

King Dedede will show up at certain times and have segments of his own. Kirby will ride on his back. Dedede can't fly and has only one attack. However, his jump is higher and that attack can smash through walls that Kirby cannot.

I have also heard that one of the Shards is in this room. So I have to be careful and find it.

Luckily, it's easily hidden under a pillar that I have to smash completely.

Unfortunately I don't get to that pillar without taking a lot of damage.

Dedede has no long-range attack, so it's easy for him to get stuck in the range of the enemies that breathe fire. His jump is also difficult to time, so I easily land in the magma more than once.

However, I'm able to clear the area and move on.

But not before I die again.

There are several enemies on ledges, and some of them are the long-range firebreathers.

Unfortunately, the ledges are very short, and one attack shoves me off the ledge.

I fall into the lava, losing more health. It takes only one more cycle of this for me to die completely.

But I'm planning on restarting. There's a place coming up for a new power. And it doesn't appear here…

But that will be for little later.


	42. August 19, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 19, 2017)**

Looks like it's on the good day for a Semilocke. So let's begin. It is mainly a training day, but I am hoping to get some content done too.

My Spearow learns a second attack, Fury Attack. Although it's not the strongest attack it has, it prevents it from being destroyed by Disable.

And the last Pokémon to be leveled up is my Dratini.

Unfortunately, leveling is not easy. Dratini is lower leveled than everything else I have, and has to rely on others fighting for it. To make that worse, Dratini levels very slowly.

And then there's even bigger problem.

Dratini has no attacking moves other than the weak Wrap.

As a result, she has issues.

But I have another option.

The Day Care Center.

The Day Care Center will raise her for me, as long as I walk around.

So I do walk around, and level up she does.

With that, Dratini learns a new move: Twister.

And now she can reliably attack things.

Once I pick her up, she is all trained and ready to go.

I head to the Pokémon Mart, spending the rest of my money on Lemonade. I have hardly any money now, but it's of little consequence.

I expect earn more from the Gym…

The Gym…

That is not of little consequence…

The reason is because I do not have any Pokémon that are super effective against the Gym. I also do not have any Pokémon that resist their attacks.

So I will have to go in with brute force.

And I do.

However, I am not without issues.

Alakazam can do a lot of damage, but also takes a lot of damage in return.

Quick Attack and Fury Swipes are a deadly combo.

The former makes it so that Alakazam cannot use its excellent speed, and the latter does damage multiple times for each deadly hit.

Luckily, I keep going.

I find out Dratini is extremely helpful here. Twister and Thunder Wave are my own deadly combo. The former allows the foe to flinch, and the latter slows them down enough so that they have a chance of flinching almost every turn.

Finally, after many battles I make it to her.

The dreaded Whitney. One of the hardest bosses in the entire series, and the end of many Nuzlockes.

Hopefully, I will not succumb to her charms.

Unfortunately, the battle does not start out well.

Whitney's Clefairy has Metronome, an attack that can let it use any other attack in the game at random.

Unfortunately, it decides to use it.

And the attack it picks is Thunderbolt.

Against my Spearow.

Needless to say, he drops like a fly.

Dratini takes care of the Clefairy with the combo used before.

There's still another problem, though.

Miltank.

Miltank is responsible for more trouble than almost any other Pokémon in the series.

And the reason for this is because of one move.

Rollout.

Rollout is a move that doubles in power every turn it's used, for five turns. The downside is that the user can't do anything but attack when they're rolling.

However, with Miltank, it's so powerful that doesn't matter.

I quickly decide use my Gastly. Gastly can put Miltank to sleep, then attack with the new move I taught it.

However, there are three problems I did not anticipate.

One is that Miltank is faster than me.

Two is that Miltank can still take out Gastly in two hits.

Three is that Thunder has horrible accuracy.

What results is pure chaos.

Once I realize these three things, Thunder has already missed once and I am no closer to defeating Miltank.

Hastily, I throw Hypnois add it, thinking I can safely put it to sleep and then safely switch out. Unfortunately, this doesn't work and Gastly is defeated.

What happens after that is a bunch of resetting, about six times worth. One of them was Spearow being defeated by Fire Blast. Another is me attempting to paralyze with Dratini, but not doing enough damage to ensure my party lives.

Another is a total party wipeout.

I feel like I am about ready to quit, but decide to try continuing the Nuzlocke one last time.

My Spearow is lucky; Clefairy misses several attacks, and otherwise does not get very lucky with Metronome.

So he lives, with plenty of HP.

But the real test continues.

Miltank is sent out again, and I play my card I played in the beginning.

Now it's all down to luck.

And luckily, Miltank misses. All of my attacks hit.

Finally, I can walk away with the Badge.

But now, I need a break.

Perhaps I can pick up something else…

Seems like a fine day for Pokémon, so let's continue with that. I have a Living Dex that I'd like to be completed, and Pokémon Sun is the last game I need.

For those who don't know, a Living Dex is a challenge where one is to have every single Pokémon physically owned and, preferably, in Pokedex order. Boxes will also be named in Pokedex order. Living Dexes were originally hard to hold, but Pokémon Bank has made it easier with its massive amount of space. My Living Dex is on the Pokémon Bank.

It's worth noting that Living Dexes usually do not count Formes. However, since there are so few new Pokémon introduced in Gens VI and VII, I chose to count the new Formes there as separate species.

So I boot up my Pokemon Sun copy.

Right away I can see the progress I've made. I need to finish evolving Alolan Grimer. I'm also one level away from evolving Sandygast. Steene also needs to evolve.

But I have made positive progress too. There's Gumshoos, and another evolved Steene. They're all ready to go. So I put them in the boxes, and pick out two more Pokémon. I have a Dartrix and Torracat that need evolving, and they're only a battle away.

I suppose I should mention my trusted companion.

Accompanying me through all this is my trusted Mimikyuu, Charlotte. She's probably the strongest member of my regular team, and can easily take down any foes that come near me. My preferred place of training is south of the Battle Tree, where the enemies are high-level. The Experience Share is also on.

And so I begin.

Already, the time is eventful, with the two starters I mentioned earlier evolving into the final forms. Now I just need to grab the last one, Brionne. Along the way, I also grab Jangmo-o. The little dragon is difficult to evolve, so I may as well start now.

Even more events follow, as Brionne and Sandygast evolve.

Quickly, my next two Pokémon are a Jangmo-o and a Dewpider.

Both Jangmo-o rapidly evolve. Grimer also evolves.

Which means I'm almost ready to send my first box of Alolan Pokémon.

Except there's just one problem.

I have to do something tricky.

Trading with two games and one 3DS.


	43. August 20, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 20, 2017)**

Well, since today is mainly a training day for the Semilocke I'm doing, I may as well fill this blog with yesterday's Semilocke results. The Semilocke I'm doing right now is Pokémon Gold.

Today, after my close call with Goldenrod, I'm headed towards Ecurteak.

However, the Trainers in the area are not pushovers. Many of them can utilize status effects, and won't hesitate to use them.

My Dratini's type resistances are useful here, but they don't protect her from stat aliments.

In particular, there's a Pikachu with Thundershock who manages to paralyze her. Another Trainer with his Magmar poses a problem, burning my Magikarp.

Yes, my Magikarp.

My Magikarp is strong enough to take on weak foes on his own. And there are plenty of weak foes here, such as a pack of Voltorb. There is also a Magmar, whose fire attacks don't do much damage.

I do have to switch out against someone with Fire Punch, though.

Beyond all the difficulties lies excitement.

My catch for the route is a Nidoran, and it is female.

I have a fondness for Nidoran, but I've yet to get one to survive a Semilocke.

Hopefully this one will be lucky here. With the ability to trade in between completed games, finding a stone should be easy.

But there's also something else exciting. The Bug Catching Contest.

The Bug Catching Contest is the first of many timed events. This event runs on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Tuesdays. It is in the National Park, and allows Trainers to catch rare Bug Pokémon. There are 20 minutes, and each Trainer is awarded 20 Park Balls. Each Trainer is allowed to catch one Pokémon, and that Pokémon will be judged in the contest. Higher-level Pokémon are worth more points, as are rarer Pokémon. The healthier Pokémon is when caught, the more points it will win.

And it's worth going for first place. This is the only place in the regular game where one can find a Sun Stone. The remakes made this portion of the game even more valuable by allowing the player to win other elemental stones after the game's first half had been cleared.

With all this, I get right to it.

However, I'm only allowed to bring one Pokémon. That Pokémon is the creature on top of my party.

I quickly select my Gastly, and set off. Gastly is immune to most attacks, and resists almost everything else. I don't intend to weaken Pokémon at all, only act defensively. A healthy Pokémon will give me the most points, after all.

Yes, I've got this contest set.

Or so I think.

I'm searching from one Pokémon, but the search takes a long time.

That Pokémon's name?

Scyther.

Scyther is the best Bug Type Pokémon in the game, and its evolution is one of the few Pokémon that learns Steel type attacks.

Not to mention that one a few Steel Types that learns attacks of its Type and can be gotten before the second half.

And the completed game means I can obtain its evolution easily.

But Scyther doesn't come so easily.

In order to get the best score in the Contest, I cannot weaken it at all.

And there's one attack I forgot about.

Pursuit.

Pursuit is a Dark Type move introduced in this generation, and Dark Type moves are what my Gastly is weak to.

Unfortunately, Scyther decides to strike with Pursuit.

This move takes Gastly down to about half HP.

And because I'm in the Contest, I can't use items to heal it.

What makes things worse is that Scyther knows another move.

Focus Energy.

With that, Pursuit will surely critical. Not to mention that anyone who is defeated in the contest automatically gets the worst possible prize and a money penalty.

Along with having my Pokémon killed.

Luckily, Scyther chooses not to go for Pursuit, and I manage to catch it.

Unfortunately, I do not win the contest. I take second place, which unfortunately grants me an almost useless Everstone.

Pity, if I would've won, I would've gotten the useful Sun Stone.

But that doesn't stop me from finding something else useful.

Sunkern.

Sunkern may not look like much, but it evolves into one of the best Grass type Pokémon in the game.

And with trading, getting its evolution item is easy.

But the rest of the time has other problems.

I hope to traverse the route at Day, in order to get a Growlithe.

However, that is not to be.

Growlithe know a move that make capturing them difficult.

The move is called Roar.

Roar scares almost any Pokémon away, ending the battle.

My Pokémon are no exception.

So instead I'm forced to capture a Stantler.

I think that is my only disappointment, but my real problems lie ahead.

There is something quite literally blocking my path.

A Sudowoodo.

Sudowoodo are competent fighters, so I am eager to catch this one.

However, it is not as eager to come with me.

My first time, I use my Gastly and Hypnosis. I think Thunder will do the trick.

Unfortunately, Sudowoodo doesn't take special attacks very well, and falls to the assault.

My next two attempts are equally unsuccessful, with me running out of Poké Balls repeatedly.

My final attempt has me face off against Sudowoodo again.

This time, I continue to put it to sleep and weaken it with Thunder. Slowly, I start using other moves.

I have one problem, though.

The problem is called Lick.

Lick is Gastly's other move, and it's what I'm using to weaken Sudowoodo.

Unfortunately, Sudowoodo carries another defense.

Mimic.

Mimic allows Sudowoodo to take the last move I used, and use it up to five times.

Unfortunately, the last move I used was Lick.

So what's the big deal?

Lick is a move Gastly is weak to.

And Sudowoodo doesn't hesitate to use it.

With it, Gastly is down.

But at least I finally catch the Sudowoodo.

Thankfully, I also have chances to revive.

I quickly use one now.

So now I face my last problem of the day.

Getting a Growlithe.

I missed my chance on last route, and there are currently other Pokémon that can appear.

However, I quickly realize something.

I can wait until night.

I capture all the other Pokémon that appear on the route at night, so Growlithe will be my only option.

I wait until the evening, and sure enough, one appears.

However there's still a bit of a problem.

And the problem has to do with catching it.

There's the problematic Roar, but there's also another move: Bite.

Bite is particularly troublesome because no one resists it, and Growlithe has high stats.

In fact, trying to use my Dratini almost gets her killed…

But I managed to safely catch the Pokémon and get to Ecruteak.

Except I forgot one thing.

My radio card in Goldenrod.


	44. August 21, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 21, 2017)**

So I'm back with some more Pokémon. Once again for the Living Dex.

Last time, I mentioned something tricky. And that something is trading a Pokémon with only one system and two games.

It involves a middleman, Pokémon Bank.

In order to do this, I must first take a Pokémon that's unlikely to be found on the GTS.

This Pokémon is given to the opposite version of the Pokémon I want to trade away. The Pokémon I want to trade in order to evolve is on Pokémon Sun.

After that, I send the Pokémon up to the GTS. The other game is quickly inserted into the system, and completes the trade. After that, Pokémon Bank is used to send both Pokémon back to their original locations.

It is risky, and I've lost Pokémon before.

However, it is the only way to do this.

Therefore, I must enact it now.

I take one of my many Rayquaza and give it to the other game. Sun now holds the Pokémon that needs to be traded: Graveler.

As I put Graveler up to trade, I activate the other game.

Next, I activate the GTS.

Well, after I get through the very long Festival Plaza tutorial… Seriously wish tutorials were skippable in this game… However, I've seen worse.

Just check out Valkyrie Profile and its unskippable intro and tutorial… It's about two hours long…

Anyway, I get through that and get the Pokémon. With that Graveler finally evolves.

I now have one copy of all of the new Alolan Formes, as well as any others, finally, I have the first batch of Pokémon ready to go.

So my next step.

Transferring them to the Living Dex.

So what does that mean? The Pokémon are placed in boxes labeled with Dex numbers. Each Pokémon is placed in a box corresponding their number. This continues until every Pokémon is in the Living Dex.

But there's a problem.

And that's that the Living Dex. It already has 26 boxes devoted to itself, and I'm still having add more. Right now there are two boxes completely empty, but for how long will that continue? I may have to leave some Pokémon in the games, but I'm not entirely sure what.

For now, I will continue filling the boxes.

First to go are the new Ash Formes. Next are the Alolan Formes, followed by Zygarde. Finally, there is are the starters. Everyone goes and smoothly, and I have some room left. Time to put more Pokémon in the Dex.

My first order of business is a unique Pokemon: Lycanroc.

Lycanroc is notable because it has two forms. In order to get one, the player has to evolve Rockruff in a certain version at a certain time of day.

However, there is another way.

If one continues on to the Vast Poni Canyon, one can find the other form already evolved.

And that's what I intend to do. So I deposit all my Pokémon other than my Mimikyu. It is night, so I should be able to find the form easily.

With that, I get ready to hunt.

The hunt is long, but I managed to finally track down one.

The catch is easy. Neither side even attacks.

Now back to leveling, but with some new Pokémon.

One is the Dewpider I was leveling earlier. Another is one of the evolved Jangom-o. There are two Pikipek, and the Steenee I was leveling before.

With that, I head near the Battle Tree to train.

Luckily, all the training paid off.

Almost my entire party evolves. The only one that doesn't is the dragon. So I merrily skip to put them all in their boxes, and decide to begin a solo mission with one of the other Pokémon.

But I will reveal the details of that mission next time.


	45. August 22, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in a Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 22, 2017)**

It's a fine day for a Semilocke, so let's begin! This time, it's Flight Rising.

After a lot of training, I can finally head to the next area. This area being the fiery Volcanic Vents. I should have an advantage here, because Redshoulder uses water.

But I also have another advantage.

Recently, I found an egg while scavenging. Eggs are rare, they go for a lot of money, and they go very fast. I was able to sell the egg within about half an hour of putting it on the auction block. Afterward, I got a massive amount of gems.

And all this is good news, because healing items bought with gems are often cheaper than those bought with treasure. I should be able to find them in high quantities on the Auction House. I will just have to see as I head over there.

Unfortunately, the pickings are lean.

There is not a lot of potions available for reasonable prices with the gems I've collected.

Which means that I have to use the regular money that I've collected in the game.

And I end up spending almost all of it.

For a mere 45 Potions.

Luckily, I got a lot of weaker potions, but I can only use these types of items during training.

But there's an even bigger problem.

My dice rolled two dragon fights.

Dragon fights, because of the length, take a toll on my inventory.

And right now I don't have a lot in my inventory, or the money to continue refilling it. I have a healthy amount of gems left over, but that doesn't mean much when there isn't a market…

So instead, I decide to do the dragon fights a little differently.

I will simply go until I need to heal.

After that, I will play the game as normal.

So I go in with that philosophy.

It seems to work well, for even though I don't get far, I also don't waste precious resources.

But then the real battle comes in.

After this, there is the regular set of five Beastclan battles.

And during that time, dragons can die.

Even if there is a revival chance for doing well.

But it seems I have almost no fears.

My team is equipped with triple Scholar and Berserker. That translates to massive damage increases.

Furthermore, I'm using the correct set of elements here, so most of my team does extra damage against the enemies.

Redshoulder, as predicted, does well with her water spells. Fire and Earth fall to her. Unexpectedly, she's also strongly against Wind.

Cinderknight also does well, her Plague element attacks defeat many of the enemies very quickly. Nature and, surprisingly, Shadow themed enemies don't stand much of a chance.

Or anything else. Even bosses fall fairly quickly,

There are a few things that come close, such as Cinderknight being weak to fire, or Tarkin, another dragon, being weak to light.

But overall, it's nothing my team and healing potions can't handle.

Before I know it, all fights are cleared, and it is time to pick out another dragon.

The die has given me a Ridgeback, a first for the Nuzlocke.

And she's female too, something that hasn't been seen in a while.

Quickly, I grab one off the market, with black and brown. Her parents are named after plants, so she will be too.

Her name is Kale, and she is quickly given her tag saying that she is in the Nuzlocke.

And then, as the session comes to a close, I take time to reflect.

It really has been a while since I began this journey. It was a bit on impulse and haphazard, but amazingly enough it continued.

However, there is not much time left. After this area, there are only seven more, and the final two are counted as one.

After all of these areas are cleared, the run will be over.

And then I will leave the community.

I will still be back to finish up the achievement section, since I promised myself I would do that. After all, that's how my account on Flight Rising got its start many years ago.

But after that, I will be gone. Other than creative sections, that is. Maybe I might poke my head in general discussion once in a while.

There's not much keeping me here other than the run, the achievements, and my own creations.

It's rather sad, because even though I didn't partake much in the multiplayer, I still enjoyed the lore the game had.

Not to mention it's interesting, because Flight Rising plays so differently than any other game I have.

Of course, my account won't go away. It will just sit, nothing being done to it.

Probably forever.

It's still worth doing something like this though.

But I shouldn't focus on the melancholy future, but rather, the happy present. There's an elemental holiday coming up after all…


	46. August 23, 2017

**Welcome to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 23, 2017)**

Today seems like a good Kirby day, so let's get to it. Of course, there's also the Semilocke progress from last night, but I will save that for later today.

Last time, I died on the second last level of Neo Star. Unfortunately, I have to go back to the level with a specific power to retrieve a crystal there. The power is Ice Needle.

Unfortunately, this is a long way to carry a specific power, and I've no idea how good Ice Needle is.

So I will use my friend the infinite health Gameshark cheat in order to get the power. But the power I need is outside of the place I need to use it.

So first, a little traveling.

Off to Pop Star, second world.

There should be a snowman inside of a house. I can pick up the ice power there.

And would you look at that; there is a needle inside the house too. It makes for easy copying.

And it turns Kirby into a giant snowflake.

It's nothing if not amusing.

That aside, off I go to Neo Star.

Ice needle isn't a bad power, although it is little hard to control. Kirby can't move while using it. However, it does have a bit of long-range attacking. If the button is held down, the parts on the snowflake grow. Kirby can use these to reach faraway enemies. Enemies hit also into ice cubes. They can be used to destroy other enemies.

I make it to the room where I was without problems. The majority of enemies can be avoided by simply flying over them.

However, I still get hit by the fire enemy that shoved me into the lava last time. Some things never change…

Anyway, the next room has a lot of skillful maneuvering as well. Once again, I can simply the fly over things. However, there are lava rivers which I must carefully avoid.

At last appears the crystal. There is a platform of molten rock which I must break. The crystal is under there.

However, there is also a pool lava directly underneath the crystal. Needless to say, I damage myself on it.

But I got what I came for.

The infinite HP cheat can go off.

Things will be harder from now on.

But it's not like it helps any in this next part.

Because the next part involves running away from lava.

There are few powered enemies in the room to get me started.

But after that, lava comes from behind, and I have to outrun it.

Unfortunate, flying to avoid it is not recommended, because flying is slow.

There's also enemies that will push me back toward it.

Unfortunately, they succeed in doing so, and I am defeated.

The next time, I notice something.

Some of the enemies are fire enemies.

Fire is a great power here. The reason being is that it moves Kirby slightly forward at a speed faster than walking or flying.

I quickly use that to my advantage.

But the next room is even harder.

This time, there is also lava, but comes from above.

To make it worse, there's still enemies that will push me back, and the crystal in the room. The crystal is on the left side, and I start on the right.

There are platforms I can climb up, and I manage to get the crystal.

However, there's still a problem,

I spend a lot of time going all over the place, which impedes my progress. This is mainly because of the opposite side issue for the crystal.

Furthermore, the enemies also succeed in pushing me back. Some platforms can be climbed from behind, but others can't.

Those who can't catch me off guard.

A combination of this makes me fall to my doom.

The second time is much better. I get the top, but I realize there's an issue.

There's a bunch of blocks, but Kirby can't break them without a power.

Unfortunately, I didn't bother getting one.

So there's nothing I can do except wait for the lava to kill me.

At last there the third time. I should hope I get this right; this is my last chance.

Thankfully, I manage to nab an electric type enemy, and break the blocks.

Now, I'm finally free.

Well, other than a boss fight.

And this boss is no pushover. He is a living pool of magma, and he will stop at nothing to defeat me.

And he does.

Several times.

The main reason has to do with the fight is set up. It relies on speed, something that I don't have.

There are four platforms, with enemies that jump between them.

The boss uses fire to destroy the platforms. Kirby has to jump in between the platforms and spit back enemies in order to beat them.

This sounds simple, but the boss has a few tricks.

One thing is that as I mentioned, the platforms will disappear very fast. There's also different ways of disappearing. There is the standard of having all three platforms disappear at once. But there are also other things.

For example, one almost unavoidable attack is to have the platforms move up, one by one. But there's very little time in between one platform moving up and another also moving.

So there's very little time to get to a safe place.

The order is also seemingly random, so a lot of times I jump and think I'm safe, but I'm really not.

Flying isn't an option here, because the ceiling of the arena damages me. Hence why, one of the

boss's attacks is to throw me up to the ceiling.

The final attack takes place next to the platforms, involves long columns of lava snaking over them. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of time to move in between the platforms.

Unfortunately, I just can't go through this without a power, but most of the strong ones hinder Kirby's movement, or prevent him from moving at all for short time.

I die several times. One time, I'm lucky to get past the start. But the problems aren't over.

The second part of the battle has the boss chasing me, and then turning into a pool of lava. That's easy enough to avoid.

However, the other part is not.

He protects himself with molten lava, and then tiny birds appear. I'm supposed to use these tiny birds to fight back.

Unfortunately, only the upper part of the boss takes damage, and I only have one jump. Most of my attacks do no damage, and those that do are very risky.

Finally, there's a seemingly unavoidable attack that the boss uses.

The boss spits out flame, but it seems I have no way to dodge it.

So I die again. Easily.

I've already gotten a couple game overs to this boss, and it's clear I won't be able to move fast enough.

Time to activate the infinite HP cheat code.

With it, it's the boss that dies easily.

Finally passed that wretched Neo Star.

Only two more worlds going to the end. Hopefully the others won't be as difficult…


	47. August 23, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are the property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer: Part 2 (August 23, 2017)**

Off to play some more Kirby. Maybe I can actually get somewhere in Shiver Star…

And it seems I do. The first part is a typical ice world, with snowmen, penguins, and birds.

There are some other interesting enemies here, such as a rolling enemy that gives needle, or jumping enemies that give the power of rock.

They also have some interesting combinations, such as Kirby turning into a spiked enemy when given the power of ice.

But I'm most interested in the power of fire. I will need it for later.

Luckily, I manage to get it.

After that, I combine it into rock. This allows Kirby to turn into a volcano, giving him some of the best range in the game.

I nearly lose it, though.

In the second area, there's a bunch of flying enemies and ladders.

Obviously, I have to avoid the flying enemies and climb up.

However, I have trouble avoiding these enemies and nearly lose my power. I get damaged to where the power separates to me, but I managed to grab it back.

The next portion is a bobblesled level with Waddle Dee. It's like the mine cart, but a bit tougher than before. Instead of jumping right next to an object, I have to jump well ahead. Unfortunately, I mistime jumps and nearly die. It does not help that places where I need to jump blend in with the scenery…

Worse yet, there's a crystal shard here. Luckily, it's on a larger platform than the last shard in one of these areas, and I reach it easily.

However, the true test is in the next room. The next room has a mini boss, and enemies flying around. And this is the room where I need to keep my fire power… The crystal appears after being the mini boss, but is usually enclosed by an area of ice. A fire power allows one to get the crystal.

And I only can get it one more time before I lose it.

Luckily, I'm able to keep going. Volcano's powerful range helps me, because I can simply attack from above and behind as the birds try to divebomb me. The boss is stationed to the right, having no ranged attack. So it's as simple as laying a smack down on him when I am not fighting the birds.

Luckily, the power prevails, and I grab the crystal and move on.

Unfortunately, I'm not so lucky in the next room.

There's a bunch of slippery ice, but holes or I can dive into water. The water leads to a separate area, under the ice.

There is supposed to be a crystal shard in the ice, so I immediately dive into the water and start searching for it.

Unfortunately, I difficulty finding as I'm hit by every enemy. However, that is not my only problem.

Fire power gets weakened underwater. Fire powers have noticeable problems with range and speed if Kirby uses them underwater. So now the great power had before is working against me.

I quickly discard it for another power, ice.

One swallow of ice is enough to allow Kirby to have a rotating ice attack. It damages enemies within close range and allows Kirby to push them and into other enemies for long-range attack.

However, its powered up counterpart is nowhere near as good. It's a snowball that is difficult to control.

Guess which one I go for?

With this difficult to control snowball and my aimless wandering, I quickly die.

I start back at that area, hoping to be more careful.

But I still can't find the crystal. Worse yet, I keep on getting hit by an enemy that orbits around one of the entrances below the ice.

Luckily, there is a more specific guide than the one I'm using. It explains that the crystals to the right.

Figures, I had been going the opposite direction and did not see that there was an entrance to the right.

Luckily, my new ice power is enough to dispatch of the enemies, and I grab the final shard.

Unfortunately, there's one more area, and I'm nearly dead…

The enemies are fairly fierce, with snakes pushing rocks that my powers can't get rid of. Not to mention that the birds are still here, and they attack from above.

Unfortunately, the combined attacks kill me, and I am forced to start over.

Thankfully, my next attempt doesn't go as badly. Other than a snake pushing a rock on me, and a monster trying to eat me from the cracks, I survive.

On to the next area. I'm so close the end…

The stage is set in the sky... A sky stage in an ice area… Interesting…

Anyway, looks like I move around by jumping on clouds.

Did Kirby go to heaven?

I hope not, I wouldn't want him dead…

Anyway, looks like there's a crystal down a hole in one of the clouds. I easily find it by recognizing that one hole is bigger than the others.

The rest of the stage seems to be easy, but there is a problem.

There's a bunch of food on what seems to be a solid surface.

However, I find it is not solid and fall to my death…

That has to be one of the stupidest deaths in any game ever…

I'm not quite as stupid in the next area though.

In the next area there's a bunch of green balls that can shoot Kirby different directions. The top right shoots me towards food, the top left towards a crystal shard, and straight up advances the stage.

I want the crystal shard, but takes a while to aim right.

All the while I can see Kirby spinning in the green ball... It's hard to imagine he's not getting dizzy…

But, eventually I get everything I want and move on.

The next areas are not impressive in terms of enemies. But I need a certain power to get through: Lightning Rod.

And the enemies are in this area. One of them is on blocks. I manage to grab one, but I still need the other…

And it's in the next place, quickly jumping into the hole in the clouds…

There goes my chance…

Not to mention that there are many snapping enemies in the holes, and they're dead set on devouring me. Not to mention the birds divebombing from every direction. I get hit by almost every enemy standing in my way, but I manage to survive.

But the final challenge lies ahead.

So enter the next room, with the mini boss. The crystal is inside of a box, which I'm assuming only lightning rod can break.

However, the boss gets hindered by its own minions. Its minions carry the ice power, and the boss has a tendency to dive bomb in close. It is quickly defeated, but I still need to snatch the crystal…

And the only way to do that is to repeat the level with the lightning rod. Lightning rod is a very difficult power to carry, because it can only enemies directly above me, or very close.

So of course I activate my infinite HP cheat.

But there are issues. One is that it doesn't protect me from death by falling. The other is that it doesn't stop me from losing my powers if I get hit too much.

Both situations happen.

One time, there's an enemy with bones. He hits me enough to have me lose my power and have to go back. I tried to get from one of the other enemies, but I miss the lightning one.

The other time is with that same enemy, only I manage to rescue my power, but fall to my death.

On my third time, I somehow get to the area. It helps that I know the trick is flying low…

Once I get into the boss area, I immediately break the box. After that, the boss is defeated the same way it was before.

Now for one last area. I want to at least do one more while I have a stack of lives…

So off I head into a cute little toy shop with a conveyor belt… Too bad Kirby can't play with all the toys…

I am led by the conveyor belt's bright colors, and I hear there is a crystal in the room.

Luckily, my ice power defeats everything here, and I snag the crystal from last belt.

I am led to an area that has an elevator that functions like a windup toy.

There are several enemies here, but those in between platforms grant powers.

One of them I combine, and now Kirby is skating. Unfortunate, the skating power isn't that strong, as I run into enemies and take damage.

But there are other ways of taking damage. Enemies that swallow me come out of the darkness, and other enemies fall from the ceiling. They attack me mercilessly, and I become very weak.

But the game isn't done with me yet.

The next room is a boss room, and the enemy attack is to fall as close to me as possible. However, I try to move in order to defeat it, and it falls right above me.

Therefore, I die, and I am forced to fight again.

Luckily, I make it through the second time.

Yet there are still difficulties. There are two rooms. One of them has the artist, Adaline. She paints a bunch of fruits on the walls. Unfortunately, I can't quite make out what they are.

And this is where the problem lies.

The next room has a bunch of switches. It contains the final crystal, but there are certain things I need to do to make the crystal appear. In order to make the crystal clear, I have to step on the switches that corresponds the color of the fruits in the previous room.

Except I don't quite know what these fruits are, because I can't quite understand the drawings.

What follows is that I press the switches in almost random order, trying to find the correct colors. After failing several times, I almost give up. However, I manage to clear the puzzle by watching a video of someone else doing it. That person had the exact fruits I did, although in a slightly different order. Since this person did the puzzle right the first time, I was able to use what he did in order to solve my puzzle. Therefore, the final crystal shard is mine.

But there's still more to go.

The first room is a giant tank, but I can simply fly over it. Some enemies are cleverly hidden within pipes.

The next room has a bunch of bookcases, but they're anything but welcoming.

These bookcases try to fall on Kirby, and I need speed to avoid them. Unfortunately, I'm not successful, and must restart the room.

The next time, I figure I can avoid the objects another way by flying over most of them. I also find that I can avoid them entirely, and trick them into falling before I get to where they are.

There's no such avoiding the enemies in the final room, though.

The final room has cannons that home in on my location.

I manage to make it, but only just.

The game is nearing completion, and not a moment too soon... It's been a fun adventure, but I'm ready for it to end…

After this level, there are only about seven or eight more in the entire game.

I hope I can get through them quickly…


	48. August 24, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies. Also, see the author's notes for details.**

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**Journeys of Wheeling Gamer (August 24, 2017)**

Seems like it's time for a Semilocke, this time Pokémon Gold.

There was some progress made last time, but never detailed here,

So it is as follows.

One of the first things I need to do is going to get Eevee and the Radio Card.

I need Eevee to be female for a story reason, and I am prepared to soft reset. Thankfully, she is female on the first try.

My next destination is the Burned Tower. However, this place is rather interesting.

The reason is this is one of the few places that is completely different on Gold and Silver versus Crystal.

In Crystal, this place was required before one could go to the Gym. In Gold and Silver, this place is completely optional. It is required if one wishes to have a chance at catching every Pokémon in the game, however.

In Crystal, the rival does not appear to battle until one reaches the center of the tower. In Gold and Silver, the rival battles as soon as the player steps foot in the place. It's an easy fight, so I didn't include it here.

In Crystal, Rock Smash is not needed unless one is trying to get all the items. In Gold and Silver, Rock Smash is required to progress.

Finally, in Gold and Silver, the player can easily walk to the center of the tower, and fall to the basement to trigger the next part of the game. In Crystal, the hole in the center of the tower does not appear until the player has battled their rival.

Luckily, the Burned Tower is still short and easy. The implications for the scene there… are no less creepy... I wonder what was happening to the beasts before the player found them… The official guide says they "turn from stone to flesh" when approached, but what does that even mean? Did they revive as soon as they saw someone, or were they simply living down there, waiting?

Implications as it may, the trio rush off. Unless I'm extremely lucky, I won't be pursuing them.

Instead I head to the next area, the dance theater.

Inside are the kimono girls, with their evolutions of Eevee. Defeating them gets me the powerful move Surf.

And this is where I start to run into trouble.

The Kimono Girls have a lot of things going for them, especially with the Pokémon they use.

The fact that they are using evolutions means that the Pokémon will have higher stats than what I'm used to at this point in the game. Furthermore, they all can do elemental damage, which many of my team members have difficult resisting. Finally, there is a game mechanic where Pokémon can do more damage if their moves match their Type. The Kimono Girls can take full advantage of this.

So not only are my other team members having difficulties, but I have a death.

My Spearow falls to a Flareon after being weakened by Tail Whip.

I'm hesitant on completing the revival. On one hand, Spearow is useful for the upcoming Gym. On the other, it's not much use anywhere else.

But I decide to revive it. After all, training is not my favorite thing.

It proves useful, because he quickly evolves into Fearow.

And it becomes even more useful, as I gain the move Surf.

I have two Pokémon that can learn it, a Gyarados that can't use it very well, and a Dratini who can. I teach to both them, mainly because Gyarados doesn't have many powerful attacks.

And on to the next area, the Gym.

Luckily, the Gym Trainers are easy, thanks to my team setup. I have two Pokémon with powerful attacks against them (Gyarados and Alakazam) and one that resists (Fearow). Gastly might also count, but is weak against the ghosts and can't deal damage back. Aside from some minor problems, I defeat the trainers easily.

But now that I defeated the Gym Trainers, there's one last monumental task: Morty. Morty marks the end of the first half of the game (or first quarter if planning to do the game's second half). He's appropriately powerful even with the team setup I have. He, unlike his underlings, actually uses the power of his Type. On top of that, he has a significant level advantage over me.

But the fighting must go on, and so I begin.

Like I predicted, it's not easy.

My Alakazam makes short work of many of the ghosts, but I can't rely on it long because it's weak against them and its defenses are frail.

My Fearow goes in, immune to the ghosts' strongest attack, Shadow Ball.

But there's another problem.

Gengar.

Gengar doesn't just have Shadow Ball.

No, Gengar has another nasty set of moves.

Hypnosis and Dream Eater. One puts the foe to sleep, and the other drains its health to heal the user.

And both of these attacks can hit Fearow.

Hypnosis is not accurate, and I start winning the battle.

However, one time it hits, and Dream Eater comes. Fearow is weakened, but not dead.

I heal up, thinking he will go for another Dream Eater. If it looks like I will die quickly, I can switch and get a free turn.

But that's not what Morty decides to do.

Instead, he goes for Gengar's fourth move.

Mean Look.

Mean Look makes it so I can't switch out, unless I fall in battle.

So now I'm trapped with something that can outspeed my Pokémon, and said Pokémon can die in two hits.

Worse yet, the thing's at full health, and I can't attack back.

So I've no choice but to let my Fearow die.

I send in my Gyarados, but he doesn't do much better.

Its only move that does a lot of damage is Bite, and Gyarados's has low Special Attack. Therefore, it does barely anything.

And worse, Gengar puts it to sleep.

So I switch out into my Alakazam.

But there is yet another problem.

Gengar outspeeds almost everything I have, and can defeat Alakazam in a single wicked hit.

If I don't move faster than it does, it will destroy my Pokémon. And then I don't know how I will win the fight, if I even do.

But mercifully, Alakazam outspeeds Gengar, defeating in a single hit. It does the same with a Haunter afterward. The battle is won, but at a heavy price.

I must bury my Fearow.

Picking a new Pokémon isn't easy. Fearow represented two Types in the team, and my other Pokémon aren't nearly as high leveled.

Finally, I settle on the Eevee I picked up earlier. Eevee can evolve into many different types, and someone to fill in Type problems is sorely needed.

However, Eevee will miss its first elemental attack, and therefore won't be able to use the different types for a long while or without trading to another game.

And it's particularly bad for the evolution I'm going for, Umbreon.

Umbreon has it bad because there is no other way to get its elemental attacks without waiting. The others have access to moves from other games, but Umbreon doesn't have that luxury.

However, there is a similar move, Shadow Ball.

Shadow Ball hits the same Types as Umbreon's element, so it will work just as well as them.

And there's another good thing. It's physical damage.

This allows Umbreon to pair it with another move: Curse.

Curse increases the Pokémon's Attack and Defense stats, while lowering their Speed. It makes Umbreon all but immune to physical moves, and able to deal some damage back with them.

Coupled with the healing move Moonlight, Umbreon becomes incredibly good at taking hits.

The problem is longevity. Curse is not available until early in the game's second half. Moonlight likely won't be available until near the end of the entire game.

So I won't be able to use the set in full until I beat the final boss and do the Stadiums.

And I haven't to keep Umbreon alive until then… Hope I can do it…

Regardless, Umbreon immediately joins my team, evolving from Eevee. It starts off at a high level, so I do not need to train at all.

And off I head to the next route. The trainers are easy, and I even catch a rare Pokémon, Magnemite.

Until another tragedy strikes.

I send out my Gastly against a Mr. Mime. It doesn't have any Psychic Type attacks, so I think I will win the match.

At least I think it doesn't have any.

But then it surprises me.

It launches a confusion, and one hit is enough to bring Gastly to the ground.

And I am forced to bury another Pokémon.

Worse yet, Gastly represented someone who is meant to be in my party at all times.

But I have a backup plan.

The person has another form.

A Scyther with the same name.

Rapidly, I put in my party. It is low leveled and needs to train, especially to learn the move Wing Attack. I can give it to another game to evolve, but it can only learn that particular move in its base form.

Training is difficult, it seems, because Scyther is weak to just about everything near me. Perhaps I will use the Bug Catching Contest for training later.

But for now, a break with Kirby.

Right at the beginning, it seems I need a special power. I had back to the dreaded Neo Star to get what I need, the drill.

At first, the scenery looks normal.

However, it quickly devolves into one of the creepiest places and one with one of the best tracks in the game: the factory.

A lot of the enemies are avoided by going to the bottom of the factory in timely manner. They're easy to avoid.

What's not easy is the Crystal Shard.

There is some boxes to break with the drill, which I do.

However, there's no easy way to find it.

I run all around the level, looking for the crystal. After running around taking a lot more damage, I finally find a subtle opening that leads to a ladder. On the top of is the crystal shard.

At least I found it.

But there is more to do.

King Dedede enters this room, and now I have control of him.

His task is to run against a conveyor belt that forces him in the opposite direction. Along the way, there obstacles such as doors, spiked enemies, and huge things that resemble children's toys. They are not harmless, because they will bring their hammers down constantly, and touching them will cause damage.

I also have trouble with the spiked enemies, because they don't move, but the conveyor belt makes it difficult for me to jump over them until they are right on top of me.

Thankfully, I manage to get through, only to find something even more disturbing.

There are enemies in test tubes. Part of the disturbing factor is that this is coming from a Kirby game.

But some of the enemies are final bosses from previous games.

Is this the fate of bosses I've previously defeated?

I will try hard not to think about it…

There are conveyor belts going in different directions, and I have to try hard to run and avoid enemies.

It's not much of a challenge, but the real challenge comes with the next crystal shard. I need to create a power combo, but the enemy I need for the second part is in the air.

He's between two pipes, and hitting either of the pipes instead of him makes me lose the combo. Not to mention, the conveyor belts make it difficult to aim.

I lose my power, twice. But I finally get what I need.

The almighty lightning sword.

Hopefully, it can make short work of the mini boss.

And it doesn't. The boss is flying and the sword only hits the ground. After all the work I did to get it… However, there are fire powers in here that can be used damage the boss.

However, I am unable to react fast enough, and I am defeated.

My next time, I manage to defeat the boss, a bird, using fire powers.

However, without the lightning sword, I cannot reach the crystal I will have to go back with the infinite HP cheat to snag it again.

One of the final rooms has a place with walls that are constantly moving. If Kirby gets stuck in between these walls, he dies instantly. However, there are certain safe places that one can move to if a wall is closing in.

However, I have trouble finding the safe places and die quickly.

It's a game over for me.

I will be back to finish things though…

**Author's notes:**

**-So the Stadiums mentioned in the first half of this entry refer to the battle modes in Pokémon Stadium 2. The game could be played with Pokémon used in the Game Boy games, and I was originally planning to complete the game in its entirety using the Semilocke survivors after this run was finished. The game would also be played with some special Semilocke rules of its own to make things more interesting and difficult. However, my plans changed and these changes will be detailed in further entries.**


	49. August 25, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of Wheeling Gamer (August 25, 2017)**

So I'm back with more of Kirby… Maybe I can clear Shiver Star this time…

After get the other crystal I missed…

Of course, my friend the infinite HP cheat is here to help me.

I gather the lightning sword power from Pop Star and head on over to its cold counterpart.

However, things are not as they seem.

I think I am invulnerable to damage, but that is not the case. Dedede's part of the level involves giant hammers. And instead of doing only one hit, they will kill me instantly. The infinite HP cheat does not make me immune to instant death.

And so I die. Twice.

However, I manage to get past the level on my second try. However, I lost the power that I carried over from Pop Star.

I use the same technique that I did the last time I was here to grab another lightning sword, and enter the boss room. The battle goes much the same, only now I can grab the crystal.

But there still trials ahead of me. I must face the falling walls that spelled my death last time.

Unfortunately, I am not so lucky, barely missing a safe spot.

Time to start the level over again…

Next time, I don't have trouble with the hammers, and come away with extra lives.

But the walls still remain. Somehow, I get to a safe spot, and manage to clear the area.

However, my time with walls is not yet over.

The next room as walls too, although they are a bit different. It also carries electric enemies and pods.

I have to climb up and avoid the walls. Touching the walls has Kirby take damage. There's also enemies in my path. Complicating matters is that the walls move, and I have to stay ahead of them while defeating the enemies.

I decide to leave the infinite HP cheat on at this point. I can't afford to lose this far in, and with all the trouble I had before. Of course, I take damage, but it's not like it matters.

Unfortunately, damage is not only problem.

There's also a crystal in this room, and it's off the path in the fourth area.

However, I have to concentrate on avoiding the walls.

Unfortunately, I'm so focused on grabbing the crystal that I don't pay attention to my surroundings.

I get stuck in front of one, but the problem is that the routes end in another wall.

If the walls reach the end of the other one, it's instant death if I'm in front.

And that's what happens to me.

At least I got the crystal.

Except my next time doesn't go too well either.

There's two walls, and a higher gray part.

Except I don't see the second wall, and fly over the gray part.

I quickly learn what it is as I'm sandwiched in between two walls.

Luckily, I am able to use the gray wall properly and clear the area.

Next, a boss fight.

But first, my fire sword.

The next boss succumbs quickly to it, or so I hear.

But unfortunately things are never that easy.

I think I can whip out my sword to fight the boss, but the boss is invulnerable in many of its stages. The battle involves waiting until the boss is vulnerable, and then striking.

Except that dodging the boss's attacks involves a lot of jumping, and the fires sword limits how much I can jump.

As a result, I get hit by attacks, especially one that looks like a laser. Somehow, I am still alive.

But there are still problems.

My defense is horrible, but my offense is not much better.

The problem is that even though the boss is vulnerable, I can only hit it once before it becomes immune to attacks again.

And then I'm back to all my other problems.

Somehow I manage to take out the machine, but there is another form.

The machine becomes something resembling a spaceship, and begins to chase me across falling platforms. I continue to run away and dodge missile attacks, but nothing changes.

I'm not quite sure what to do. I remember there was some way to attack it, but I'm not entirely sure what that way is.

In desperation, I run towards the machine.

And proceed to die almost immediately.

My second attempt doesn't go much better, as I don't even make it past the first form.

It looks as though I will be using the HP cheat again, at least until I figure out what I'm doing.


	50. August 26, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 26, 2017)**

So August is coming to an end, and Flight Rising has its monthly pause. I have to do that, because otherwise it eats up my limited Internet… But it will be back in the middle of September, and then I will take on the jungles…

But in the meantime there's another Semilocke: Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume. I am about two thirds of the way through the game, and I may as well go until the end…

The problem is that I end up in a place that has a lot of snow… Snow is almost impossible to walk in, for both the player and enemies. The exception is for flying units, who are unaffected. Unfortunately, the player doesn't get any during the main game (although one does eventually join after all routes are cleared). This Semilocke won't see that character, though…

Regardless, the Sin count is high, and the enemies are scarce.

Anyway, it appears that this map is one where I only have to beat the enemy commander.

But unfortunately, I don't know that, and unintentionally end the map early. At least I still get the double sin and the best rewards...

But the next map is less unintentional.

This time, I want nothing more than to defeat the map commander.

Because the commander in question happens to be Roienebourg. Roienebourg is one of the toughest enemies in the game, with very good stats, excellent range, resistant to almost every element I have, incredible defenses, and an attack that kills almost anything.

To make matters worse, he's also surrounded by healers and other units to support him. These units do not hesitate to impede my progress, and allow Roienebourg to pass through.

So what am I to do?

Well I have one saving grace; a move called Fury of the Aesir. This attack makes it so that my units are immune to damage from physical attacks. And that's all Roienebourg can do.

But there's a catch. The effect only lasts three turns.

Which means I have three turns to beat Roienebourg before he can inflict massive pain on my units…

However, I get lucky.

My mages attack with Frigid Damsel, an attack that has a chance of freezing opponents.

And Roienebourg is frozen. With freezing, he becomes completely helpless, and my units can destroy him.

It's something so fortunate but so crazy that I try hard not to burst out laughing…

Poor Kristoff at the end of the battle… It's easy to see the war in his homeland is taking a toll on him… And he talked about how much he dreads facing his brother, even though he knows he has to in order to end the war…

This is why I wish the second path was the true one. Kristoff's doubts make him human, and therefore interesting. It's a lot more relatable than the other two paths, where people just seem to charge ahead…

And in the true path, he doesn't even get a very happy ending… Not to mention that there other things that are interesting in this path as well, such as what happens to Valmur and Phoina, and Lieselotte realizing the damage hate can cause…

But enough about that. Another good thing has come out of this map.

Wylfred finally got a better sword.

He had been struggling quite a bit due to mediocre damage output and not be able to use his full range of attacks.

But his new sword solves those problems. Unfortunately, it isn't Gram…

As I near the end of the path, it seems the Semilocke is going well. I only hope that the final battle here will not go as badly as the one from last path…

But for now the Semilockes go away, and Kirby comes back out.

Last time, I was having trouble on the robot boss of the fifth world. But my infinite HP cheat is here to help me.

Along with my friend the fire sword.

So I grab those and head off.

I still managed to have the same problems with the first stage of the boss, and get hit a lot. But somehow I manage keep my power.

And then I realize why it's so strong when the boss gets to the second stage.

Damaging the boss requires going directly under him and attacking. The fire sword can do just that. Tilting it upward will stab the boss immediately, and can continuously do damage while also keeping Kirby safe.

The boss now goes down within minutes.

I've cleared the fifth world, but I still have to keep my guard up.

And not just because the infinite HP cheat is off.

Beyond here lies one more world with four of its own levels.

Ripple Star.

Ripple Star is the same world that was seen besieged by enemies in the beginning of the game. Now I have to go rescue it. Unfortunately, its situation doesn't look quite as dire as it does on actual N64 console (mainly due to graphics not rendering properly).

But we have to save anyway.

Unlike the last two worlds, Ripple Star tests the player's ability to respond to large swarms of enemies. It also tests the player's ability to use the different abilities from throughout the game.

So it is much more combat focused.

Refreshing, considering how much I hate platforming…

Anyway, onto the first stage.

And it looks just like Pop Star, complete with the same music… I find that a nice little touch…

It acts just like Pop Star, too, with everything dying to the fire sword.

Of course, I also have to use bombs to blow up a rock, and that's a little hard to control… I nearly die, but I manage to get the final crystal

But I have to head off to the second level in Pop Star, both to replenish my health and grab a new power. I need a lightning power in order to get the first shard in the second level of Ripple Star.

That's right, the second level of Ripple Star. Infamous for not only being well done, but also having some of the creepiest music in the game…

Regardless, I have to press forward.

The first shard is easily found using lightning powers. I simply have to blow up another rock.

Hopefully the next few will be as easy.

And they are.

The next two areas have me underwater, but I have to jump out of the water at strategic points in order to progress. There's nothing moving, so it's easy. In the second area with water, I snag a crystal to my left.

But there is something that is more challenging.

In order to get the final crystal, I have to grab the Cutter ability.

However, while I'm doing this I have to descend down a hole. The enemy I want is above the hole and can strike from a distance.

Cue me getting hit several times trying to grab it.

Eventually, I managed to get it, but only after taking massive damage. Skillfully, I avoid enemies, and make my way to the final area.

Adaline is there, and paints me a lollipop.

What this does is make me invincible, and has enemies die to a single touch.

So now the rest of the level of the breeze. Along the way, I turn my left and snag the final crystal the level.

Now it's off to the last regular level in Ripple Star. One of three left in the entire game…


	51. August 26: Part 2

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 26, 2017: Part 2)**

I'm almost done with Kirby, so I may as well finish it. Typically, I would do a Semilocke, but I'd like to finish this first so I can give my final thoughts.

Ahead of me lies the third area of Ripple Star. This area is full of enemies, including exactly one copy of every enemy in the game.

I still have my trusty fire sword, but I will need to discard it nor to get one of the crystals. That won't be for a while yet, though.

Or I don't have my fire sword with me. I just have a boomerang.

Oh well, I can combine it with something else.

The next room spawns enemies everywhere. I quickly combine my boomerang with the bomb enemy to get throwing stars. The throwing star is one of the best abilities in the game, simply because it's very fast and has long range.

However, I still have some difficulties with the enemies here.

The main reasons that often times they will spawn on top of me. Furthermore, when I try to dodge a spawning enemy, I often go into the fire of another one…

This particularly happens with the bomb enemy before I pick up the power… But I get it anyway…

However, I manage to finally defeat them all, and get the first crystal.

Now to venture ahead…

Also, I think this place has some of the best music in the game… It's the perfect mixture of uplifting and creepy at the same time…

Unfortunately, I am very weakened from the fight before, and quickly die when a bouncing enemy lands on top of me…

But I still go on… I have many lives…

I need to get flaming arrows in order to find one of the crystals in the level… I try to grab the correct combination from one of the rooms with all the enemies… Unfortunately, I end up throwing my fire power against a door instead of combining it… At least the enemies are easier with normal powers…

I quickly grab a needle power, discovering that it works well against the hordes of enemies. It has decent range and can be used in midair to bring enemies down to me.

Unfortunately, my only other chance with the fire power is with the flaming birds. However, the flaming birds like to dive on the doors and kill themselves…

So I don't get a chance at a fire power and have to go back…

Unfortunately, the trip back is rather perilous… I get my fire power early on, but the bow and arrow is hard to aim… Not to mention that I can't move when I'm firing and completely vulnerable to attack…

In small rooms with lots of enemies, that can be deadly…

As such, I nearly die, but manage to get the crystal.

On to the final boss of regular runs.

Miracle Matter.

Miracle matter is one of the most interesting, difficult, and simultaneously fun bosses in all of Kirby history. This is because of his method of attack.

Miracle Matter has a shield, and will transform into the different elements Kirby can take. If the shield is completely up, he can't be damaged at all. However, there are times when a shield is only partially up. When that happens, he must be hit by the same element as the form he has taken. However, the forms will not hesitate to attack back. The battle continues until all the forms are gone.

Kirby can inhale part of the forms and gain their powers. It generally not recommended to do this though, because the power will be useless as soon as the form is gone. Throwing abilities can also do damage, as long as the ability thrown is the same as the form Miracle Matter takes. Combination attacks can also damage the forms, but they are like other attacks in that they are limited in their usefulness.

So it's off to fight Miracle Matter.

Except I die. Several times.

It's mainly due to not knowing timing, or the attack patterns of each form.

For example, I duck under the cactus form to escape its attacks, but fly up too far after its final and get hit.

Another is the spark form, where I try to be in a specific corner, but I misjudge and I'm in the wrong place.

The fire form can attack multiple times. One time I didn't realize this and it killed me.

I can avoid the sun form's attacks, by going in between the rays, but sometimes I step too far and get hurt.

And then there's the bubble and the ice forms, with their seemingly random attacks…

And then there's the fact that there's mere minutes before Miracle Matter goes back to its barrier form, and I launch an attack within those minutes, my moves are worthless…

Once again, Miracle Matter is still fun because of its difficulty and having to learn different attack patterns.

But I've beaten it several times when I was young, and I don't want to waste time with it again.

No, I'd rather get to the one I've never seen.

So I activate the infinite HP code, and defeat him.

Of course, his attacks still hit me, but it hardly matters.

Because that's not what I'm here for…

I'm here for the final crystal shard, and with it, the secret level.

Since I got 100% before this, a special cutscene will play.

In this scene, the darkness leaves Ripple Star and explodes. However, the completed crystal shoots a light at the Fairy Queen, and she collapses. Darkness comes out of her, forming to once again take over the entire planet.

The gang decides they have to go to the darkness, but they're unsure how. Kirby, however, has something called a Warp Star. It looks like Pop Star, only smaller.

The gang takes a ride on the Warp Star and head into the dark mass.

And this is where the final secret level begins.

It's not much of one, with only a powerup and a few enemies.

But the true terror lies ahead.

Beyond this level is a secret boss, O 2. I've heard he is from another Kirby game, but it's one I've yet to play.

Anyway, he's fittingly the master behind everything, and harder than everything faced thus far.

However, in typical Kirby fashion, we have a final weapon to beat him.

Ribbon the fairy, and the crystal itself.

That's right, in order to beat the final boss, Ribbon flies me around and I fire the crystal at it. I find it interesting, because the game has come full circle.

But more about that later. I have to beat the final boss first…

Except he's harder than it looks.

I have to shoot him in the eye, but shooting him in the eye causes animated blood to appear. This, combined with the shining halo attacks makes it difficult to see.

Speaking of the halo, it's what I have to hit after hit the eye enough times.

Hitting the halo makes change color. After enough times, it breaks. Once it breaks, the boss will flip over. Once the boss flips over, I can hit its tail. After enough time has passed, the boss flips back over and the cycle repeats.

Except I don't get very far. Things being hard to see makes it difficult to dodge. And difficulty to dodge means I get hit a lot. The closest I get is changing the halo's color a few times before I'm defeated.

After a few more times of this, I activate the infinite HP cheat.

Kirby still takes a lot of damage, but after a while, the boss is defeated.

The true ending finally plays, as Kirby and his friends receive shards for their work. Ribbon also kisses Kirby, and he blushes. He is so preoccupied with what happened that he falls down the stairs. And then the game ends.

There's still that more I can do. The other ending is unlocked at that this point if it hasn't been already.

In this ending, Kirby and his friends leave Ripple Star via a ship. Ribbon and Kirby share a handshake, and Ribbon waves goodbye.

However, it should be noted that the Fairy Queen has her eyes closed the entire time.

And then she opens them.

To reveal she's still possessed.

This is the ending I would've gotten if I hadn't gotten all the crystal shards. In order to continue on to the true ending, all crystal shards need to be gotten, and Miracle Matter needs to be beaten again if he hasn't been already.

Luckily, I do not need to do that.

The sound room is unlocked regardless of what ending was gotten, although the songs associated with the true ending can only be gotten with it. If the true ending has been reached, a new mode called Boss Battles is unlocked.

Boss Battles is an extra mode where Kirby must beat all the bosses without dying, and no powers. Doing so unlocks unique victory and defeat screens. I decide to do it, mainly because it's a good challenge, although I don't dare turn off the infinite HP cheat. It is quite lengthy, especially with the bosses in the third and fifth worlds. But the victory screen is worth it…

The last thing that can be done is getting Intense difficulty in minigames. Although this can technically be done before the main game is cleared, a player will likely be too focused on the main game to complete this task. In order to unlock contents in the mini games, Hard mode must be completed for each one. I'm not good enough that the mini games to play Hard mode, so I skip this part.

So after that, there's nothing more to do.

And so begins my final thoughts.

Seeing as this was the game that got me into Kirby, it holds a special place in my heart. And it definitely has its good points. Combination power ups are interesting and innovative. On top of that, the graphics are cute and the music well done. The crystal shards also add an extra challenge.

But it unfortunately has its flaws. One is that it is very short. The game takes about 15 hours to clear, and most of the reason it took so long for me to do was because I messed up a lot. Even though the game is charming for what it is, I can't help but feel left wanting a bit more.

Another one how the crystal shards are handled. As stated before, it makes an interesting challenge. The problem is that the game doesn't really give any indicator that that's what a player has to do. So it's possible for someone to go through the entire game never getting the true ending and not knowing how to ever get it. The only hints are in the beginning, when Ribbon explains what's happening, and the three circles on the drawings before each level. But a player who doesn't know about the game might not pick up on either of those.

The final thing is the combination powers themselves. They're interesting to play with, but a bit unbalanced. Some powers, like the fire sword and drill are very powerful. Others like dynamite, are not. The combination powers exist so that players can experiment, but the fact that certain powers are much stronger than others discourages experimentation.

Despite its flaws, this is a great game to play, and something that's aged well. This game is definitely worth finishing to the end, and worth playing so long after its release.

I'm unsure which of the Kirby games I will play next after this, but I definitely will try to play as many as I can. And it's all because this game got me started.


	52. August 27, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are the property of their respective companies.**

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**Journey of a Wheeling Gamer (August 27, 2017)**

Time for another entry, and with that, another Semilocke! This one's Pokemon Gold, and it's time for bit of training.

Last time, I decided to use Scyther, but was having trouble training it… However, I found a few safe places to go.

The National Park is a good place to go even without the Bug Catching Contest. While the Pokémon here give little experience, they're also weak and cannot do much damage.

So it's the perfect place for Scyther to start leveling up.

Once she reaches level 16, there is a new place to go.

Route 38.

Route 38 has many Pokémon that give lots of experience points, but they're all around level 16. Furthermore, they're a bit tougher than what I faced before.

But I can handle them. Mostly. Scyther's only real move for damage is Quick Attack, and the only way of boosting that is through Focus Energy.

This means battles are risky, and there are still things that can defeat her.

Farfetch'd's Peck and Tauros's Horn Attack particularly cause problems, and she is weakened many times.

Furthermore, she cannot take advantage of the Steel Type of her evolution until she learns Wing Attack, and Wing Attack only is learned at level 30.

However, she manages to finish training, and I can finally move on.

Not much happens though, and I choose to avoid the Miltank quest this time. It's tedious and has little reward.

The biggest thing that happens is right before going to Olivine. Olivine is north of a new area, Route 39.

And that means I can get the new catch.

What that doesn't mean is that the new catch is easy.

At first, the new catch is Farfetch'd. These Pokémon aren't particularly strong, but they can be difficult to catch.

This one proves no exception, because even with paralysis and getting into the red for HP, it breaks out of almost 10 Great Balls.

However, according to Semilocke rules, I can try again. So I restart and do just that.

Luckily, my actual catch is a Tauros. They are both exponentially more useful and easier to catch.

With that, I enter Olivine. Unfortunately, there's not much to do here.

There is the move Strength, and I quickly pick it up. It's a powerful normal to move, as well as having uses outside of battle. My Flaffy and Gyarados can both use it well, so both of them get it.

I also got the Good Rod, allowing me to fish for stronger Water Type Pokémon. There are many places that can be used, such as the city itself and the port to the south.

But I will save that for later.

For now, Fire Emblem Heroes awaits.

It appears there are some daily special maps. The maps award an orb for completion, just like their counterparts in story. They're easy now, but I suspect they'll be a lot harder later…

My next point of interest is the arena. The season is almost ending, and I may as well place in it to get some rewards.

I probably won't get very far though, and that seems to be the case as I am eliminated on the first match. However, I decide to keep going. I have dropped down to tier 8, so I should stand some chance.

And I do, clearing all seven matches.

The teams were surprisingly easy to beat, but now I face another problem. My performance in the arena has led to me skyrocketing in the tiers. I'm now three tiers up from where I used to be.

And it was when I got into the higher tiers that I started encountering enemies I could not beat.

And doing badly in the higher tiers pushes one back down to the lower ones.

And the cycle repeats…

But at least I got what I was able to.

And another thing happens.

I now have enough orbs to safely summon. I'm going to avoid trying to summon the character I was trying to before, because the character with the current Focus is one I already have.

Instead, I will focus on getting one of the other characters.

But I quickly change my mind.

There are other foci going on, and I can just use one of them.

So I pick one with Sacred Stones characters. If anything, I'll get one of them.

Two of them are blue, and they happen to be characters I like. I wouldn't mind getting them over the character I'm looking for.

But something unexpected happens. After three rounds of summoning, I finally get the character I'm looking for.

Ninian, the dancer from the seventh game in the series. I always thought she was interesting because she occupies a unique class in this game (dancer with a Dragonstone). I also want to give her a happy ending, because she doesn't truly ever get one in her home game…

That reminds me, I'm not sure how I'm going to play Ninian when I Semilocke their home game, because she has an interesting way of being played…

I decide to use extra Orbs, because I have a lot of colorless stones. This means I have a high chance of summoning Innes.

And I do, on my last stone.

I can't even begin to fathom how lucky I am.

Now I can finally start putting teams together.

So I start doing that here. I don't have enough orbs to start leveling them, but I can at least pick who is on what team.

The regular team will still continue to be used. Once the Nuzlocke is done with the main story and the side missions in between, they can also be used for the other modes. I'm not planning on advancing them past the main story because I want them to be as strong as they can be without being held back by the game's slow updates.

So that leaves three more teams. Four teams is a good number because the game sometimes requires modes that use that many people.

I like using teams with each color, so I can be prepared for any colors the opponent uses. Having advantages in the colored triangles is vital.

Sometimes, if I lack a powerful colorless unit, I won't put one in the team.

But now I have plenty.

So here is my first team.

Rienhart with his powerful skills and horse, Gray with his effectiveness against horses, Legion with his Panic Axe (and overall craziness), and Klein bringing his power over from the Semilocke run.

My next team involves Tiki with her power from the Semilocke, Ninian and all the uniqueness her class brings, Innes and his powerful bows, and Michaelis with his immunity to threats against flyers.

The final team for now consists of Linde and the skills she carried over from Odin, Soren with his green tomes, Corrin wielding the divine Yato, and Chrom with his healing moves and Falchion.

So now the teams are picked, I can start training them.

But that will be for a later time.

For now, I want to finish what I started with the Semilocke. My next area of interest is the Lighthouse. After that, I will probably be done.

The lighthouse has a lot of Trainers, and I can only go walking speed. So it will take a while.

Not to mention that some of them are fairly tough. And I don't have a lot of healing items.

For example, my Umbreon has trouble against a Trainer with lots of Pigeys. Dratini takes a lot of damage from many foes, and I use almost all my healing items.

But I manage to make it up there, and get the request from Jasmine. Now I have to get back out by falling to the floor, as odd as it seems.

At least they got rid of that in the remakes…

But now I will restock on supplies in Olivine, and wait for my next time to play.

Now there's one last thing I need to do for this entry. And that is to link my data for Fire Emblem: Heroes.

Linking my data allows me to transfer it between devices if one ever stops working. It also allows me to get special rewards, including 10 orbs as soon as I link.

However, linking is not without its problems. My time zone is not obviously listed, so it takes me a while to figure it out… While I think my Network ID can automatically get me in, I still have to create the account that it links to.

It's not immediately obvious that's what I need to do, so it's quite a while searching for directions before I finally figure things out.

Thankfully, I finally link the data, it is safe, and now I can take a break.


	53. August 28, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 28, 2017)**

Time for another entry, this time with the Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume Semilocke! I'm so close to the end of the path, and with my overpowered weapons, it should be easy to make it…

Mostly.

The enemies not doing a bunch of damage doesn't prevent them from swarming me. A group of enemies surrounds my sorceress, Liselotte, and destroys her. The poor girl has so far been the only character to die in this run, revival or not. At least this time I have Perfect Clears…

But there is another problem I am facing.

Meteor Swarm.

Meteor Swarm is one of the many Great Magics, and like Soul Crushes, the power is devastating. It only hits one person, but is almost always an instant kill.

And poor Wylfred gets to find out just a devastating it is…

Firsthand.

A Meteor Swarm smashes into him, killing him instantly.

At least he has revival chances…

But this not my only encounter against sorcerers.

My next opponent is the fearsome Langrey and I am thrust straight into battle. However, Langrey is no pushover. He has many powerful underlings that I must get past.

Among them include sorcerers that boast the spell Reflect Sorcery. As the name implies, the spell turns my party's magic back against it. Powerful monsters also line the halls, and they're out for blood.

Speaking of which, some of the problems are the halls themselves.

Traps designed to wear my party down are scattered everywhere. They include a poisonous room that damages the party for the entire duration of the battle, and cracked floors that damage all who step on them.

I have to use a lot of my healing items, but in the end, I make it Langrey. However, he isn't willing to go down without a fight.

What Langrey lacks in defensive power, he makes up for in offense. He has magic, which means a lot of attacks will tear straight through my units. Furthermore, he also has the dreaded Great Magic.

Which he doesn't hesitate to use against me.

Both Wylfred and Lockswell fall to the magic, but in the end, Langrey's mediocre defenses get the better of him.

However, that is not our last battle. Kristoff appears, ordering me to spirit Langrey away to a dungeon in secret. So of course I oblige.

But there's a bunch of enemies to deal with first.

This battle is noted for having the highest Sin count in the path, at 450.

However, the enemies are weaker than what's been faced thus far. Perhaps as a way of compensating.

With Ratatoskr's Scandal to lower their HP, they don't last long.

Except one of their sorcerers still manages to fire off Meteor Swarm.

And still manages to kill Wylfred.

Thankfully, I still have revival chances.

The battle is over quickly, but a cutscene still looms.

The nobles aligned with Kristoff has found me with Langrey, and we are declared traitors. Langrey is immediately killed.

Kristoff appears that explains with happening, but it is all too late. The only thing he receives his mockery for believing he could end the war with his brother alive. Kristoff is only left to grieve, lamenting about how things shouldn't have ended that way.

And I feel sorry for him too.

After all, he is both a prime and literal example of poor communication kills.

If Kristoff had just communicated with someone he trusted about his brother, it may not come to that. Of course, that would've also meant asserting his authority and making sure no one attacked Langrey behind his back. It would go against his initial character, but it would be a suitable development. Unfortunately, this is not what happens. Kristoff leaves some parting words to Wylfred, before saying he will be reunited with his brother soon.

He then heads off to do… something.

If it's what I think, that I'm glad that the game doesn't show it on screen, but it never specifies either…

But there's not much more I can do about Kristoff.

Because our next foe is the Valkyrie herself.

She fights exactly the same way she did on other path, but the battle itself is fought quite differently. She brings along generic soldiers instead of fallen comrades, and one is not required to complete the battle. Instead, one is required only to bring her down to half HP. After this, the second half of the battle plays, and completing that half unlocks the ending.

So the battle is easy enough.

Except I make a mistake.

For whatever reason, I believe that getting the Valkyrie to use her Soul Crush will end the match and advance the game to the second part.

However, that turns out not to be the case, and I end up getting Lockswell killed.

However, he can still revive.

As an extra precaution, I use Fury of the Aesir to negate all her physical attacks.

After that, I advance to the second part easily.

But now I have to fight someone else.

The someone whose death I've been trying to give meaning to for the entire game.

Wylfred's father, Thydor.

Turns out, he's the one who asked the Valkyrie to not take Wylfred to Valhalla. Thydor had hoped the resulting journey would help his son to move past the revenge he sought.

But Thydor was wrong, and now he fights me as an Einherjar.

Thydor has massive HP and defenses, along with good range and a powerful Soul Crush. He also starts with a few other Einherjar, two sorcerers and an Archer.

And they will not hesitate to attack me.

So I cast the spell Gelphir's Bonds in order to prevent them from moving.

But one of the sorcerers evades the spell, and starts to heal the others.

While the enemies are wasting time healing each other, I take them out.

But they are not my real concern.

It's Thydor.

And he moves.

But that's I discover something else.

Thydor is very weak.

He doesn't seem to do much damage, and has horrible defenses against my magic. His Soul Crush doesn't even kill Liselotte, despite every other Soul Crush almost instantly killing whoever is hit.

Perhaps the game just does not expect the player to go for 200% Sin, and get the best rewards constantly?

Whatever the case, Thydor goes down quickly, and the B ending plays.

And I love to reminisce on how much I like it.

Not only does it have the most interesting characters, like Kristoff, but it also drives home the point of the game about how damaging revenge can be. Wylfred spends the entire game trying to give meaning to his father's death, but then his father is taken from him even after that event occurs.

And all because of his wish for revenge…

But I shall save further commentary for when I complete the game in full. After all, there's still a third left and the true ending to uncover.

And getting said true ending involves going through some of the most difficult missions of the game…


	54. August 22, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies. Also, see the author's notes for details. Also, this chapter's date is out of order. The reason for this is because I had mislabeled this chapter when I did that originally, and thus skipped over it when I was porting. However, I figured it didn't really matter if this one chapter was out of order because the chapters before are mostly standalone. So I just left it where it was ported.**

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**Writing: Backstage Pass (August 22, 2017)**

Been a while since I've done a backstage pass. Time to do another one.

The first has to do with the Semilockes. I decided not to do Round 2 in Pokémon Stadium 2. The reason being is that Round 2 in Pokémon Stadium 2 is brutal. It requires a lot of powerful Pokémon and luck, neither which I have. However, I do plan on completing Pokémon Stadium 2. This also makes the game very long, seeing as it more than doubled the length of the original Pokémon Stadium Semilocke. However, I do plan completing Pokémon Stadium 2 100% normally. It's something that I've been wanting to do, since I was never able to do it when I had the original version of the game. As for what this does the story, I am not sure. Perhaps Psyche just blasts the Rival out of existence… It's something I could see her doing, honestly…

Speaking of Semilockes, I have an update on Journey. Journey now has enough blog posts to start being written. However, much has yet to be plotted out. For example, I am unsure what specific games will be used for it, or how I want the games to fit into the story's ending. There are some confirmations, though. Fire Emblem, Kirby, Okami, and Fantasy Life are all confirmed to be used. At least one of the Semilocke entries is also confirmed to be used. Okami will most likely take place in the end, because the premise of the game being similar to the protagonist's plan to call the goddess back.

However, not all of the blog posts will make it in. Some of these blog posts may become a different work. They may be a work that applies more directly, or at least told from an omniscient third person point of view. If this happens, they may be called Travel.

Psyche's journey itself also has updates. The update starts way back in Azalea Town. Psyche is fighting in the forest, along with others. However, eventually she is hit by an attack that is fatal. With her dying breath, she manages to use her time powers to make it as though the wound never happened. When this happens, she believes she sees another person, but it's only a faint outline.

When she tells Griselda this, the latter flinches. She then asks Psyche a lot of questions about how the person acted or sounded like, but Psyche is unable to answer any of this. This causes the others to further distrust Griselda, after realizing that she knows more than she lets on. Some are also confused by her change in behavior, and angry at how she treated Psyche.

Further problems strike later on. The group finds a large creature blocking their way out of the forest. Psyche realizes that some sort of test, and the group has to pass it to keep going. Psyche prepares for combat, but Spyro jumps in the way, saying that this time he will be the one to help her.

He then fights the creature, but with tragic results. Spyro's fire may be powerful, but he is not as fast as the creature. The creature outspeeds him, then strikes. Immediately, Spyro's killed. Psyche tries to revive him with her time traveling power, yet is unable to. Griselda theorizes that while Psyche can undo events like ones that would kill someone normally, she cannot physically reverse the state of death. Hence why she is able to heal herself as long as she is not dead, but is unable to help someone who was already dead.

Griselda's charges into combat against the surprised spirit. The spirit can't do much damage, and is quickly defeated.

Finally, the group is able to proceed, and Griselda gestures for them to go on.

She calls to Psyche, yet Psyche doesn't move. She's crouched over the body of Spyro, looking like she's crying, but no tears are coming out. Griselda keeps telling her to move on, and that the group needs her. She says that Psyche's friend's death is sad, but they have to keep going so it won't be in vain. Psyche screams, and time starts going backward. Griselda gets flashes of Psyche's memory and then they're back at the fight.

Psyche thinks that things will go differently this time, but she is wrong. Despite what she does, Spyro still recklessly charges in front of the enemy, and the others do nothing to stop him. He still dies, and Griselda still has to finish off the enemy. And even then, the others are still wary of her. Psyche realizes that the issue was not Spyro, but the others' mistrust of Griselda. And that there's no way resetting a timeline constantly will make her earn that trust.

Griselda realizes what Psyche has done, but the others are still confused. Griselda sits Psyche down and tells her that she has made two timelines, and unless one is closed, the group will be trapped and trying to forever advance to their destination. This happens even if the other timeline reaches their end goal. Psyche understands this is a horrible fate, and one she would not wish on her comrades. She quickly closes the timeline, and brings the group forward.

Now she stands at Spyro's corpse, unsure what to do. She wants to do the burial ritual she did in the Legend of Spyro, but find out she can't say anything. When asked to the deliver words, she finds out she can't. Instead her mind keeps flashbacking to what she saw in the Legend of Spyro world. Finally, Griselda shields her eyes, and takes her away from the corpse. Psyche tries to cry, but finds out she can't. She notices Griselda also seems upset, but seeing as she never knew Spyro, Psyche is confused as to why.

Later on, she notices Griselda is getting close to James. He is telling their stories, and Psyche is invited over. She finds it awkward, seeing that the James that's there telling the stories is not the one she knows. However, Psyche soon realizes that Griselda and James are swapping stories from the wars they have fought. James says that even though he doesn't know Psyche, he can see the look of loss within her eyes. He then proceeds to tell his own stories of how he lost comrades in the field of battle, and tries to help Psyche normalize her emotions. Psyche believes she understands what he is saying, but still feels like she has never been so alone.

Later on, the group set out for the deeper parts of the forest. They pass through it mostly unhindered, now that the guards are gone. However, the group gets surprised when they find someone outside of it. There is a young dragon that Psyche identifies as Cynder. Once again, she's a little spooked. The group finds out that this Cynder is from a timeline where everyone survived the final battle. Psyche is angry, thinking that the sacrifices in her world were for nothing. Cynder's reply is that the dragon worlds are no more, and that they only survived by fleeing the final battle. Psyche is even more distraught at the memories and the thought of the dragon world being destroyed.

Meanwhile, Psyche is still having difficulties, but has yet to find a form that works. She is covered by Griselda and the others, but does not know how long that will last. The group goes underground in what appears to be a city. There, they find one of the Hunters that Psyche knows, the one from the first part of Bonds Revisited. However, he is mostly cowardly as ever, and unsure what to do in the hostile world. Psyche realizes he's taken a form that could be powerful, and resolves to use that power by whipping him into shape.

The group finds many powerful enemies, and a case for keeping coins to be used in the still functioning building above. Other than that, they resolve to leave the underground and continue their journey. However, Psyche darts into a corner, coming out with a sky blue stone. She doesn't know what it is, until Griselda sees it.

She tells Psyche that this is a dragonstone, something that can be used to transform fighters into dragons. In the dragon forms, they are much stronger than what they would be normally. At this, Psyche trembles, wondering if she can regain her old form. Griselda asks her if she wants to become a dragon, and Psyche nods. Griselda tells her to use it, but Psyche is unsure how. Griselda explains that dragons typically hold their stones up and react to light, but Psyche prefers to walk on all fours, and lacks the typical human form of dragonstone users.

Psyche suddenly puts the Dragonstone down and begins to ingest it. She finds the stone bitter, but can see no other way of using it. Eventually she manages to ingest it all, and it glows from inside her. Griselda says she has successfully absorbed the power. However, Psyche vomits afterward, and says she can't eat that night. Griselda understands, and feeds her in the morning. The one thing is that Psyche realizes she has to discard her other form, and said she will miss the flight. Griselda comforts her by saying that some dragons will eventually obtain the power of flight, and that if Psyche trains hard, she may get it again.

In the next few days, Psyche tries to test out her new power, with Griselda at her side. She at first finds her powers weaker, and is frustrated. However, Griselda says it is because it is her first time using these powers, and that users of the dragonstones typically start out weak. However, they become very strong eventually. Psyche finds an area where she can train solo, and leaves the group to pursue that. Griselda also joins, but she doesn't stay as long.

Eventually, the rest of the group enters their next test. However, they are bit disorganized without Psyche and Griselda. Suddenly, the two show up, and proceed to wreak havoc on enemies. Psyche can beat them with many elements and resistances, and the ability to stun them using electricity. Griselda now has her own electrical attack, and can hit enemies that would normally be completely resistant to her.

With this, the group nearly reaches the end. However, they are met by even tougher opponents. At first, James takes the field but is defeated easily. The others soon follow, but Psyche continues to reset the timeline. Once again, Griselda goes out against the most powerful foes, but is unable to defeat them. The others are not as trustworthy because of that, but no one else can resist attacks.

Psyche yells at them to trust Griselda and her, because while she can reset the timeline, Griselda's the only one who can make things go forward. Griselda is able to beat the foes eventually and allow the group to move on. This is after many failed attempts to continue. As a result, the group finally trusts Griselda, and she in turn feels more accepted. Psyche starts asking about where she's come from, but Griselda declines to answer.

Psyche continues to aid the group in her new form, and becomes more comfortable with it. She also finds a mailman, and discovers that is her mate, Apollo. He has gotten lost in the world, but is doing whatever he can for the surviving civilians. If he completes his next mission, he may be able to join their group. The group helps them complete the mission, and he lends them his power. Psyche is overjoyed.

However, the group gets up to a test of that involves an entirely new area. Worse yet, only one can traverse in order to allow the others to. Griselda volunteers, thinking that the group will still miss her the least, and that as a valkyrie, she is the most well prepared.

However, one of the enemies can fight dirty, going straight through Griselda's magic. She realizes that her own form will not last much longer, and that she must pick up a new one. She wonders if this is how Psyche felt when she had to discard her form, and resolves to ask her. Griselda manages to use her magic to capture one of the creatures in the test, believing that this may be her new form. However, she still feels like the group needs her old one, and resolves to use it for as long as she can.

The group continues up to an area where there blocked by rocks. It turns out the rocks are enchanted by another creature, and that they must do battle. Unfortunately, the creature is powerful, and Griselda is knocked unconscious. They managed to bring the creature to their side, realizing that is actually a possessed Sheila. The ending of the battle is bittersweet because Sheila is saved, yet Griselda is in danger. However, she brushes it off, by telling the others they should continue their mission. She does ask Psyche about what it feels like to discard her form, and Psyche tells her. Psyche says she also understands what Griselda wished to keep her old form, even though it is nowhere near as powerful as it should be.

The group reaches another city, and they find another person. This person happens to be Elora, and it's the one Psyche knows. Psyche has mixed emotions, happy to have found Elora, but heartbroken over having to tell her what happened to Spyro. Elora comforts her, telling her it's not her fault. Elora still has her orbs from before, but says she has not yet completely unlocked their powers. She requests to spend some time continuing to do that, and her request is granted.

The group enters what appears to be an abandoned dance theater, but there are ferocious creatures inside. They wield the power of the elements, and James is badly hurt. The rest of the group also don't fare very well, but they manage to make it through. Also, James gets an upgrade to his power, and he is able to fight easier.

However, the group still faces their biggest challenge. There is a place that is completely dark, and the group has to fight monsters in it. Due to their team composition, they are able to fight them without hardly any casualties. However, that changes when the fight the leader. The leader uses draining attacks and things to otherwise put the group out of commission. Once again, James is in the line of fire. However, he is caught in the one of the draining attacks and quickly dies. Psyche is distraught, and tries to reset the timeline.

However, Hunter jumps up and says that he has to protect his friends, and that the enemies won't take another one. He then proceeds to destroy them, earning the win. Almost everyone is shocked by Hunter's actions, but Psyche knows that Hunter often loses his cowardice after enough time has passed between his last battle and the next one. She then remembers how he acted at the end of the second book, Gateway, versus how she was told he acted in the beginning the beginning, and believes it's the same thing here.

Psyche also has a talk with Apollo, who helps reassure her that things are not her fault. She still felt sad about it, but admits it's not as sad as seeing Spyro die again. She is surprised he is not jealous of her spending time with Griselda, and he replies he knows things are different there. Later on, she talks with Griselda, and is surprised to learn that her relationship with Apollo does sadden her bit. Apparently Griselda had someone she loved back where she was from, but he's no longer with her. Psyche tries to ask more questions, but Griselda abruptly cuts the conversation off.

Elora appears, having done some research with the orbs. Psyche tells her James has died, and although it was not the James she knows, she is still heartbroken. Elora consoles Psyche, and tells her she has done enough with the orbs to awaken their elemental power. With this, she should be able to fight, and with the elements that make the group strong. She asks to join the party, but Psyche is hesitant. Elora is one of her best friends, and she is afraid to lose her like Spyro. Bianca comes up, having researched the magic with Elora. She explains that Spyro and James died for a better future, and both died for what they believed in. It is the same reason that Elora wants to fight now. Psyche nods, realizing they are right. Elora immediately joins, taking on the power of darkness.

The group continues, and all is well as they seem to approach the remains of a farm. However, there is an enemy with magic hiding, and Griselda rapidly takes the attack. The attack knocks her out instantly, and Psyche takes over the match as Griselda is hauled away. Psyche can sense a large amount of magic flowing out of Griselda, and realizes that she is most likely losing the power of her form. She hopes that Griselda will realize this and take another one, but wonders how she will accept being powerless.

Later, Griselda wakes up and realizes what has happened. Psyche consoles her, but she responds by showing her the creature she had captured from the solo test. She knows she needs go off into training, and Psyche volunteers to go with her. However, Griselda declines the offer. Unfortunately, she begins having trouble against the varied enemies. Right when she thinks she's going to be defeated again, Psyche charges then to help deal with them, bringing the entire group along with her.

It is at this point that she realizes the group has begun to trust her, that they value her like any of the teammates, and that they need her power. Psyche says it doesn't matter where she's from; she's a victim of this world like everyone else, and has to work together and in order to get out of it. Griselda realizes she's right, and resolves to be less prickly to the group. She's also more open about things from this point forward, although it is still a while before she reveals who she is.

All of these updates to the Semilockes are not the only ones. Another huge update comes to Wanderer, the same series where the Altar is from. In particular, the updates concern Acceptance and Flowers, the sequels to the Altar and Journey. Originally, there was not really a happy ending, with the ending being bittersweet at best and a downer at worst. However, there are plans for a happier ending.

In Price of Rebirth, the work which Wanderer connects to, there is a replica that eventually gets killed. She is in limbo, but the protagonist from Price of Rebirth later absorbs her soul. She realizes that the replica will never have a complete life without someone else, because she can't be resurrected with her soul being incomplete. She also cannot fuse with the others of the timelines, and make it the final trial. However, the protagonist realizes the replica still has a purpose. She leaves her with instructions that if Wanderer's protagonist accepts what has happened, she will have earned having the replica as her new body. This gives a happy ending to both the protagonist's replica, and the protagonist of Wanderer. This may also open up the door for a new story based on the protagonist of Wanderer accepting her new body and trying to do what she can to help the world.

Because of this, Flowers may receive some updates as well. Ninian originally is talking to the final Kristine, but now she may instead be talking to the replica inside of her. It can still appear as though she's talking to the final Kristine, however. The final Kristine is still known as the traveler, and the replica may be known as the companion. However, the true identity of both of them is never revealed in the story.

Recently, I saw the 2017 eclipse, so I have a few ideas for stories based on that. One of them is a bunch of Pokémon planning an eclipse party, with them being in the path of totality. They could have things like barbecue, music, and special eclipse glasses. This fan fiction would be based on what I saw in the live stream in Wyoming, a state that was in the path of totality. The party set up by Pokémon is based off of the Budweiser Clydesdale party with the farm being in the path of totality. The way it was worded made it sound as though the horses were setting up the party.

Another one may be something about the final Kristine as she watches the eclipse. She thinks about going into another timeline to visit the world again, and remembers everything she's seen up to this point. It's never revealed who she is, or when in the timeline she decides to go. The place she's watching it in is the Dragon Temple, which is where she spends a lot of her home series. She may also watch it in Yggdrasil, where her existence begins. However, the latter is corrupted at the time, so she may not. This is meant to be based off of Wyoming as well. She also still has her affinity with magic, and uses that over solar glasses. In the end, she visits the worlds. This is meant to be posted shortly before Price of Rebirth begins, as a sort of preview to it.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So this is what where my plans change for Pokémon Stadium 2, and it's at first just like what is mentioned here. However, the plan had another change much later down the line. I eventually watched two separate playthroughs of people completing Pokémon Stadium 2 100%. I realized the game was updated, slow, and any semblance of difficulty could be completely gotten rid of with certain strategies. With extremely difficult opponents, like those in Round 2, using those strategies was all but required. Finally, my system had a lot of difficulty running the game, with no real means of fixing it. As of now, I am unsure whether I will play Pokémon Stadium 2 at all. The rival character mentioned is the final boss in Pokémon Stadium 2. In the other games in the Pokémon series, his name is Silver, but he just goes unnamed in the Stadium games.**

**-So in this chapter there's a mention of a past project, Journey. Originally, there was plan to be even more blog posts than there are now, and they would go on to become a traditional story rather than a straight port. This story would then tie into some other stories I had been writing, rather than being a standalone. However, this idea was eventually discarded. One of the reasons was because that it would be difficult to integrate the stories, especially since the others had to be pretty far along in their own plots, or even finish for this one to start. In addition, a lot of the blog posts did not have a lot of details because of the audience they were written for. So it would've been difficult to add a lot of details and turn them into a traditional story with what little there was. Finally, categorizing the different blog posts would not have worked very well. Because of the many different categories and games are presented in the story, it would most likely go straight into miscellaneous, where hardly anyone would see it.**

**-Quite a few names are also mentioned here, and it's been a while since some of them have been seen. And almost all the characters referenced are canon to Spyro the Dragon. Spyro is the protagonist of the entire series, and has been depicted in several different ways as the series itself changed and evolved. However, in most depictions he is bold with a strong sense of justice, but reckless, preferring the element of fire over all others. He is also young in all depictions, not knowing much about the world until he's thrown into the problems with it. Spyro also isn't very strong in the majority of depictions, possessing several limitations. In the games where he does become stronger than other characters, it takes him a long time to get that power, and there's a lot of heartbreak and lasting consequences along the way. The Spyro depicted in this chapter is the Spyro from the original trilogy (although adapted to Psyche's story), where he had the most limitations and no special powers (although he did learn a lot from simply observing the lay of the land).**

**-The event Psyche references in this chapter are based on an interpretation of the ending of the Legend of Spyro trilogy. In this trilogy, it's left ambiguous whether Spyro and his girlfriend, Cynder, survived the final battle. Therefore, quite a few fans interpreted the end as Spyro and Cynder dying in the final fight. The last scene of them, flying around freely and without any noticeable injuries, according to this interpretation, was the two in Heaven. The creator of the game later clarified that this was not the case, and that the two had indeed survived. However, the interpretation of them dying stuck with many fans, and for some of them, explains the whole situation a lot better. Therefore, in the interpretation that was to be used in Psyche's story, she finds out how to use her powers to avoid being hit by the deadly and fatal attack. However, Spyro and Cynder lack these powers and Psyche is unable to use her own on them. As a result, the former to die alongside the overarching villain, Malefor. Psyche, heartbroken and wondering if it was worth surviving, takes Spyro and Cynder's bodies back for burial and tells everyone else what happened. Despite protests from her new mate, Apollo, she then heads back to the universe of the original Spyro trilogy, unsure of how to cope with her grief and failures.**

**-This story was removed for several reasons. Originally, Psyche was supposed to have a story dedicated to each Spyro game series, starring in every one up to the final entry in Legend of Spyro. After that, she would return home, but then would decide to return to active combat again after the disturbances caused by the events in other places got her attention. These disturbances were the result of Psyche's story intertwining with other ones, and the result would be quite a large crossover as the main characters from each story tried to figure out how to restore normalcy to their world. The idea of the crossover was difficult to implement, so that idea was discarded. However, what was also removed was a representation of every game from Psyche's story other than the original trilogy. A follow-up story wrapping up some loose ends from the original trilogy is currently being planned, but after that, Psyche's story will end.**

**-Once again, there were several reasons why this was removed. One is that there is around 10 Spyro games, excluding anything original that would have made to wrap up any loose ends. This also excludes crossover stories, with at least two of them planned after the ones based on the Spyro games ended. This would have been very difficult to do, and extremely time-consuming. The fact that it was time-consuming was made even worse because there were other series that I wanted to do, and realized that would've spent a lot of time with Psyche's series as opposed to other ones. Therefore, it was discarded. As stated before, several games were also discarded in this process.**

**One of the reasons is that the games after the original Spyro trilogy but made in the same universe generally were not made well. As a result, I would have to add and expand on a lot of things in order to make them even come close to working. The Legend of Spyro trilogy didn't work well with the original series at all, being much darker, a complete reboot, excluding many characters, engine in the personalities of those that did make it over. And even though it was a completely different continuity made from scratch, it still had many things that were brushed or otherwise left unexplained. So there would have to be a lot of extra explanation added. In addition, in order for Psyche's character to work, there would have to be ** _ **massive** _ ** changes to the setting.**

**For example, in the original Legend of Spyro trilogy, countless dragon eggs are destroyed and in a raid on a temple at the start. As a result, all but two of the baby dragons that are killed. The two survivors then become Spyro and Cynder, although due to the events of the game, they fight on opposite sides initially. The problem with this is that a huge part of Psyche's character was her desire to eventually find a mate, fall in love, and start a family. It was established that there wasn't anyone she could do that within the original Spyro trilogy universe, at least without it being inappropriate. So in order for that trait to carry over properly, the other dragons were planned to survive. One of those dragons would become Psyche's mate. However, I quickly realized this plot point was not feasible, as it would involve creating profiles for countless other characters that nothing was known about.**

**Other issues also cropped up. For example, canonically, Cynder is warped and used as a weapon by the ancient and corrupted dragon Malafor. In some fan interpretations, the roles are reversed with varying effects. In Psyche's story, Spyro and Cynder were ** _ **both** _ ** meant to be corrupted, with Psyche being able to save them because she wasn't around at the time the corruption occurred. The issue was that I couldn't figure out a way to make Psyche fighting Spyro and Cynder the main event when there are countless other dragons who could do the fighting instead. These dragons couldn't be removed from the story either, due to Psyche's preestablished character and goals. At the same time, Psyche's relationship with Spyro and how it changes in the different universes was also meant to be a major theme. But it would be difficult to do that if there were other dragons that played a role and traveled with her.**

**Yet another set of issues was Psyche's powers. In the original series, she had an advantage with magic, due to hardly anyone else using it and enemies not being very tough. However, in the Legend of the Spyro trilogy, gameplay is focused on combat, enemies are much stronger, and quite a few use magic in some form. Therefore, Psyche's magic is almost useless, and she nearly dies after barely winning her first fight. Later on, she discovers something called the elemental wheel (an unused concept in the Legend of Spyro trilogy proper) and uses it to gain the power of the element Aether. After that, this becomes her main method of attack, at least until she picks up the element of time along the way. This idea was discarded because even though Psyche could only use Aether, it would still make her extremely overpowered if it followed the rules of the canon element. In addition, Aether typically has massive drawbacks, but in order for Psyche to use it, she couldn't have any of those drawbacks. Story wise, Psyche's used to using magic, and Aether is similar to that. So she would figure out how to use the new element without any of the issues.**

**Another large issue was Psyche's past. A major part of Psyche's character was that she began as a criminal, and worked to overcome that, becoming a protector of all realms and timelines. Criminals in the original Spyro trilogy aren't common, so her past made it easy for her to stand out and develop. However, in the Legend of Spyro trilogy, almost every character has either had a run in with criminals, forced to do something that would make them a criminal, or are criminals themselves. Some Psyche's past and development doesn't really mean much there.**

**With all these problems, throwing the ideas for the Legend of Spyro trilogy away was pretty easy. Although Psyche's story is still planned to take some inspiration from that trilogy in addition to the original one, such as having more focus on combat and introducing the powers of time.**

**However, it took a long time before I made that decision.**

**The decision had not been made by the time the story was created.**

**So the explanations here are based the original plan for Psyche's character, rather than the current one. They also act as though Psyche has been successfully through all of the Spyro games, even though that would later turn out not to be the case. Hence why she makes the references to the Legend of Spyro trilogy in this story.**

**-James, known as Sergeant Byrd in the majority of the games, is a character from the original Spyro trilogy universe. He is a penguin that can fly, attacks by shooting fire bullets that can turn into fireworks. In addition, he's skilled at picking up different objects used as weapons and dropping them on his enemies. Sergeant Byrd is the closest thing the original Spyro trilogy universe has to military personnel. Many of his missions involve going to the front of a battlefield in order to protect fellow soldiers and defend his homeland from an evil entity called the Sorceress. While most of the details of his military service are left unexplained, I figured he would be someone that would know quite a bit about war and battle, as well as possibly losing comrades to it. Hence why the scene about him, Griselda, and Psyche was written here.**

**-Hunter is one of the characters that is present in almost all Spyro games, although his personality differs notably between some of these games. In the original Spyro games, he is a bipedal cheetah with a love for competition. However, he is fairly cowardly, choosing not to fight foes unless he truly has to. However, he gets noticeably braver around another character named Bianca, who he eventually falls in love with. In the Legend of Spyro trilogy, most of Hunter's character is not carried over despite retaining most of his appearance. However, he is shown to be skilled is an archer, and trusted enough by the other characters to go find Spyro after the latter goes missing.**

**-So, a new mechanic is mentioned here. It is based on canon, but not the Spyro games. Griselda's explanation about the dragonstones actually comes from the Fire Emblem series. The reason for this is because despite Griselda coming from an entirely different game, Price of Rebirth had an alternate version of her game Odin Sphere and the Fire Emblem series together in the same universe. Since it was possible and even common for character to learn about concepts existing in each other's games, Griselda would know about the dragonstones. The specific method of using them comes from the game Fire Emblem: Heroes.**

**-Apollo is an OC in the Legend of Spyro universe, created to be Psyche's mate and friend. He is one of the dragons from the same group as Spyro and Cynder and wields the power of lightning. As Psyche travels with the other dragons, she notices that Spyro is falling for Cynder. She becomes distraught at the thought of losing Spyro again, but remembers what happened with her jealousy previously and resolves not interfere. Apollo notices her distress and comfort her. Over time, they find that they have much in common, and become friends. Further down the road, she tells him who she really is and he accepts her for it. Even further on, the two become mates, although they put up any formal ceremonies until the journey is over and they have decided where they want to go. However, following the deaths of Spyro and Cynder, a distraught Psyche returns to her homeland and leaves Apollo behind. **

**Sometime during this one, Psyche learns that the other lands, including her homeland, are no longer in danger. The Legend of Spyro universe, in contrast, now has no powerful figure to protect it. This is because the aforementioned dragon is dead and those with his powers are considered the world's protectors. Furthermore, with dragons like Spyro only appearing after a very long time has passed, it extremely unlikely anyone in that world will have the powers that he did. Thus, no one would be able to use them to take up the mantle of that world's protector. However, Psyche has the powers that were exclusive to Spyro, and can collaborate with other dragons to have access to regular abilities. As such, she's the only one that could reasonably assume the position of that world's protector. This, along with support from Apollo, seeing the friendships she's made in the other world, and the idea of starting a new life without her old past haunting her convinces Psyche to return to the Legend of Spyro universe once her role in the crossover works is done. She was eventually planned to be shown going through a formal marriage ceremony with Apollo, but the details of that were not known.**

**-Sheila is a character from the original Spyro trilogy universe. She's an energetic kangaroo, remaining positive no matter what happens in the games. She attacks with jumps and kicks, and lives on a mountain peak with a bunch of young bipedal goats. Even though the goats squabble with each other sometimes, they all have a good relationship with Sheila, and she with them. She also is levelheaded enough to break up fights and disagreements, able to control her energetic nature in times of need.**

**-Elora being able to use orbs in combat is based off of my own interpretation of her character. Canonically, Elora acts as a guide in the second game in the original series, but little else. However, she was planned to be a playable combat character in one of the later games. Unfortunately, she was cut early on in development, so it's unknown what fighting abilities she would've had. However, during the final battle in the second game, it's mentioned Elora studying the orbs Spyro has brought in order to give him powerful abilities. This allows Spyro to grab the orbs and use the new abilities to turn the tide in battle. However, foes can use them to, and Spyro must either dodge or take their attacks. With her knowledge about the power of orbs and indirectly helping Spyro fight the final battle with them, it wasn't unfeasible that Elora would know how to use these orbs in combat.**

**-Bianca is a character from the original Spyro trilogy universe. She is a sorceress in training that wields the power of magic, but starts the events of Spyro's journey in the third game by stealing hundreds of dragon eggs. She is then revealed to be working for monster known as the Sorceress, and then fights Spyro using creatures and traps. However, Bianca becomes increasingly reluctant as she continues working under the Sorceress. When she finds of the Sorceress plans to kill the baby dragons from the stolen hags and use their power to make herself immortal, Bianca quickly betrays her. From then on, she fights alongside the heroes, falling in love with Hunter.**


	55. August 29, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are the property of their respective companies.**

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 29, 2017)**

* * *

Never a bad day for a Semilocke! Two, in fact.

The first one being the obvious, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume. Last time, I finished the second path of the game, and moving on to the final.

And the final path ought to go very fast, considering I have equipment from the two others.

I don't plan on switching people out much either, because the team I want joins near the beginning. Not to mention that less people join in the true route than any other.

I guess that's one of the things that makes it hardest path in the game.

But for now it is very easy. So easy, that it's almost redundant. Enemies drop like flies, and double Sin is easily acquired,

I decide to stop after clearing the first two chapters of the path, in order to focus on the other Semilocke.

I stopped right after entering the rebel camp, and getting the first new missions of the path.

Such a shame… What happens to the rebels… Not to mention the rebel path was always my favorite…

Anyway, on to the next Semilocke, Pokémon Gold.

Speaking of Pokémon, I found out yesterday that Marshadow will be available in about two months' time. Marshadow is the last Pokémon I need for Pokedex completion, not counting any new forms in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Unfortunately, Marshadow is only available at certain Gamestops, and I don't have any near me…

Looks like I will have to badger some unfortunate soul on the Gamefaqs Pokémon boards for a code… At least I will remember to post it in the right place this time…

But I digress.

On to the Semilocke.

So, after receiving a request for medicine from Jasmine, I am tasked with going across the sea to the next city.

However, these are not calm waters, and I must be prepared.

I have one Pokémon that strong against Water Types, and two more that are resistant.

However, the inhabitants can do more than just throw water at me, and the one that is strong against it is both slow and frail.

On top of that, the waters are filled with dangerous Tentacool and their evolution. They will not hesitate to use their deadly poison against me, poison being as annoying as ever.

And of course, things go wrong.

My Flaffy is the only Pokémon that's strong against Water types, but lacks a lot of power. So the Water Types quickly injure him.

Not to mention there's my Dratini who resists water, but she gets injured when some of the Water Type Pokémon decide to use poison type moves.

Even my Scyther has trouble, as it goes up against a Shellder with Aurora Beam.

And poison continues to be a thorn in my side. In one scenario, my Umbreon is poisoned and I'm forced back to land. In another, it's my Gyarados. I'm close enough to Cianwood to heal though.

I had back into the water to find more opponents.

And I find a tough one.

A Horsea with Dragon Rage.

Dragon Rage is enough to defeat almost anything I have in two hits.

And even my powerful Electric Type Pokémon can't take two hits…

Thankfully, my Gyarados is strong enough is strong enough to take three hits. And so the opponent is down.

There's a pharmacy here to replenish healing items. Which I quickly do so after using most of them at sea.

There is also a house with a Shuckle. I go to grab it, although I doubt I'll be using in battle.

Speaking of battles, it's time for the real meat of this entry.

The Cianwood Gym Battle.

The Cianwood uses Fighting Type Pokémon, and although my Akakazam can tear through the Gym Trainers, I'd like to see some of the others gain experience.

And that's where things go wrong.

My Scyther faces off against a Hitmonlee, and that battle is easy.

The real problem is a Hitmonchan.

Even the Hitmonchan can't utilize the elemental punches efficiently, Scyther is still weak to them.

And they do a lot of damage, forcing me to use a lot of my healing items.

But that isn't the only tough opponent.

Another problem comes in the form of a Machop.

This Machop goes against my Flaaffy, who, as I mentioned before, is frail and slow. He manages to do damage with Thundershock and Thunder Wave. However, the Machop also does a lot of damage with Karate Chop and Seismic Toss. Flaaffy barely survives, but manages to win.

Dratini also manages to get some experience. She does well with preventing enemies from attacking using her Attract, Thunder Wave, and Twister combo.

However, she gets slightly injured.

And then she goes up against a Primeape.

And it outspeeds.

One attack kills her instantly.

At least I have revival chances.

The Gym Battle should be easy though, with my powerful Alakazam.

Or so I think.

I attack Chuck's Primeape with the power-packing Psybeam.

And it barely survives the hit.

It proceeds to retaliate with Fury Swipes, doing massive amounts of damage.

My Alakazam is so injured that one more hit will kill it.

But I have to keep it in. It's the only one who can finish the battle quickly.

Chuck sends out his next Pokémon, Poliwrath.

I think one Psybeam can take it out.

But I am wrong, and it survives with about half its health.

This is where the situation truly becomes dire.

Poliwrath knows Surf, and can do major damage with it.

If Surf hits Alakazam, it's gone.

And Poliwrath goes for… Dynamicpunch.

And given Dynamicpunch is wildly inaccurate, it misses.

The fifth Badge is an easy win.

I might not be able to say the same about the next one though. It's easily available after getting the medicine to Jasmine, but she's no pushover.

The next badge is Steel Type, but I don't really have a lot of ways to counteract it. The closest is my Gyarados and Surf, but it's weak almost every other Type used in the match. The next one would be Alakazam and Fire Punch, but it has such weak defenses it might be risky.

Regardless, it's the best plan I have and I'm going with it.

The first two opponents are Magnemites, and they're taken out in one hit by Fire Punch.

The other opponent is Steelix.

A big, angry, Steelix.

It boasts massive attack, an even bigger defense, and is 10 levels higher than my strongest.

It seems like Alakazam might not stand a chance.

But then Fire Punch lands a critical.

And the match is mine.

In celebration, it is time to explore.

And one of the most interesting areas is a secluded island off the coast of Goldenrod. Here, three trainers lie in wait for battle. They hand out an item when defeated.

They all have water type Pokémon, so it seems like the most logical choice would be sending out Dratini.

Yet they also know other attacks.

Such as the Seaking with the critical Horn Attack.

Luckily, I still have revival chances.

But there are other nasty things too.

Such Starmie with Recover. Powerful Water Type attacks also wear my Pokémon down.

But I manag to win and get my item. It's only a Soft Sand, but it may be worth keeping.

There's still more exploration to do, but I shall save that for later. After all, every good exploration team needs rest.


	56. August 30, 2017

**Welcome to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are the property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of Wheeling Gamer (August 30, 2017)**

A perfect day for some more Pokémon! Only this time, it's for the Living Dex. I can't transfer anything until later, but I can at least get everything ready.

For now, I must go on a solo mission. It's a dangerous mission, one that takes into the heart of Alola's Victory Road.

That mission: evolve Crabrawler.

Crabrawler is difficult because it only evolves near an Icy Rock. And said Icy Rock shows up at the end of the game.

But now that I've cleared everything, it's easy.

I just head over there, and the Pokémon evolves.

Now I only have a few others left.

Quickly, I pick up the few remaining level up evolutions. I believe there's about eight in all. Which means I'll have to make return trips, but it should still be fast.

And the first one to evolve is Morelull. And the others are not far behind.

But then I have to do something more difficult.

And that is catch a female Salandit.

Female Salandit are pretty rare, but they are the only ones that evolve into their final form.

But catching one is not easy. A lot of the times they don't appear, and when they do, they're male.

What happens is I end up locking a male into combat, and forcing him to call for help. When Salandit call for help, they will always call others of their kind. Then it's just a matter of defeating the one of the males until the remaining one calls a female.

Still, it takes a long time, but at least there's some guarantee I'll get one… I wind up using one of the Pokémon I'm trying to evolve to weaken it, because weakened Pokémon call for help more often.

Finally, the male Salandit calls a female, and she's an easy catch.

I only have a little bit more to go, but for now a break.

A break for the Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume.

The Semilocke continues down the A Path, but the enemies have gotten tougher. They no longer die in one hit anymore, or at least to the archer Cheripha.

I'm able to get the maximum amount of Sin, but things get worse in the next battle. Again, I have trouble taking out the enemies in one hit, and the Sin requirement is high.

Just when it looks like I will get the double Sin rewards, it eludes me.

The reason is that my sorcerer's attack misses a dead person (I have no idea how), and the leader, Darius, is completely immune to ice.

Ice is the only element I carry, so that means no matter how strong my sorcerer is, I cannot do damage.

As result, I miss the best possible rewards.

It's worth redoing, but at least I will watch the cutscene.

And it turned out to be rather senseless. Darius says he will die a failure, rather than a traitor. However, he's not saving his own life or anyone's honor by joining the group instead of killing himself like he does the cutscene. So it makes no sense why he does what he does…

But it seems I have to go rescue Natalia from sacrificing herself. So a rescue I mount.

But that will be for next time.

A little bit more Pokémon is in order.

And my Stufful and Trumbeak quickly reach their final forms. Only a few more to go…

And they make it without incident. Now it's time to put the Pokémon in order. When I get chance they will be sent up to the Bank. There's a few problems reordering things, and there was a problem in battle when my Mimikyu almost ran out of power points. Also had a small problem where I forgot to hatch a Togdemaru for the Living Dex.

Luckily, I have one from a previous hatching, and I can just use her.

So now that everything is in order, I can take time to reflect on the challenge. Pokemon Sun is not my favorite game, and I will have only a few things left for it before I move on to the next set of games.

One of which is the Semilocke, which has yet to be done. The other which is a newly thought of challenge involving using Mimikyu to solo the entire game (possibly even the postgame). Mimikyu is my favorite Pokémon, and I've yet to have a solo run that is successful.

I have a feeling it might become a story of its own, but I will have to see.

As for why did the Living Dex, the simple fact of the matter is that I'm a completionist. I had heard the Living Dex was the ultimate challenge for Pokémon completionists, so I decided I had to try it. With the addition of the Pokémon Bank, I had more than enough space. So I started in Generation VI and never looked back.

Now, finally, I've completed it in Generation VII. It was a bit more difficult this time, due to certain legendary Pokémon requiring more than one file to obtain. But at last, it is done. Once the Pokémon Marshadow is released, I can finally say I have every Pokémon in that generation.

But for now, I shall mark down my success, and pick another game to blog.


	57. August 31, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (August 31, 2017)**

So today a big day for Fire Emblem: Heroes! So let's start with that! Conveniently, that was also the next game I'm planning on blogging…

Anyway, new missions are available, with the Choose Your Legends event. In the beginning of the game, players could vote on popular characters, and the characters would eventually be added in to the game. The votes have come in and the characters have been added. In celebration, more Orbs can be earned, and a player can actually pick which character they want to summon for free.

In addition, there is a Voting Gauntlet going on, and the gauntlet offers decent rewards. I might actually try this time… It would be a good time to, seeing as I've already begun giving my units inherited skills… So far, only Cherche has inherited Astra from a Virion, but I plan on doing more.

Also, the Black Knight and Nephenee have been found in the game's data. This suggests that they will be added soon. It ought to make things interesting, but I'm still hoping for more representation from the games on Jugdral… I guess I'll just have to wait and see…

Anyway, let's begin with the free summon!

After a while, I picked Lyn. Her skills are very good, and it's usually difficult to find a good colorless units, because healers make up a lot of them. Unfortunately, most healers are mediocre. Ike is also another good choice, but I'm not sure if I will go for him or someone else (possibly out of Focus).

Anyway, onto the next thing, the new paralogue.

Well, after I clear those daily missions that I forgot about… Luckily, they're easy…

And the new mission commences…

It's even better than I thought. Apparently, I have to head to a temple where the Summoner's weapon is (or was). And a ritual was performed in that world to summon Heroes here. These Heroes were ones that inspired many people, along with being strong and smart.

So basically, the Choose Your Legend popularity contest was made into a ritual in game, the votes were turned into summons, and the people the heroes inspired were the players of that game.

It was a long time waiting, but this was totally worth it.

Not to mention the music is awesome.

Apparently, the heroes are born from people's dreams, and they all have the same dream that they were standing before a bunch of people. In front of all those people was the Summoner.

How cool… Not to mention I finally get the first Bow Knight. I believe that is the last of the classes to debut. Which means that I now have access to every class the game.

Yes, totally worth it.

This also makes the Nuzlocke run awkward, because in that run, the Summoner is dead. Perhaps they see his ghost?

With all these orbs, there is another summon incoming. I'm looking for the Blue horseback mage, Olwen. Unfortunately, I don't find her.

So I decide to head for the Voting Gauntlet. Unfortunately, I'm up against Leo, Takumi, and Cecelia. Meanwhile, my units are Celica, Cherche, and Ephraim… I send in Ephraim to deal with most of the units, but he gets killed. Celica doesn't do much better. And poor Cherche isn't good against any of the units…

So I lose.

But I get to try in a half hour. During that time, I go on a few easy quests to gather flags. Flags can be used to get characters more points. Characters who get the most points win the round. And anyone who supports a winning character gets a bonus to their rewards.

And it's worth winning a battle in the Voting Gauntlet at least twice, because the rewards are fairly good.

But that will have to wait.

For now, the arena calls my name.

The enemies are weak, it seems, and I am close to getting all seven matches cleared.

Close, until I get careless and lose my blue mage against an army of red...

But I still have done fairly well, and get a large reward.

Unfortunately, that also throws me up two tiers.

Which is where I was when I started losing…

Speaking of losing, the Voting Gauntlet is ready.

And unfortunately, I still lose.

Better luck next time… It seems like a good time to have the Nuzlocke team do the missions before calling it quits.

Next time, I will finally train the other teams.


	58. September 1, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 1, 2017)**

First blog entry of September, and some progress was made on the Valkyrie Covenant of the Plume Semilocke!

So it is as follows.

The second try on Darius's mission goes a lot better than the first. It was mainly because I switched my sorcerer, Lockswell, to using Lightning Bolt. After that, the mission is won easily.

The same cannot be said for the next mission, however.

That mission is the one where I must rescue Natalia. Unfortunately, it's also one of the hardest in the game. This is because the Natalia is the center on a raised platform, difficult to get to. Furthermore, a lancer will constantly attack her. Natalia doesn't have a lot of attack or defense, so she won't survive long on her own.

Which I quickly find out.

I head around Natalia's platform, taking out enemies as I go.

However, I carelessly forget one.

The boss, Heugoe.

Heugoe is resistant to the lightning and ice elements. On top of that, he has good attack and range. His Finishing Strike nearly kills my units, even with their excellent equipment.

So I spend the time walking away from him, getting in formation to release a powerful attack. Meanwhile, Natalia is still taking damage. Earnest, as a guest without any of the strong equipment, is just doing nothing on the other side of the map.

It seems as though everything is in place as I eventually advance towards Heugoe. He is quickly defeated, and I think that if I defeat him, I can end the map.

But that turns out not to be the case.

In order to truly rescue Natalia, I need to defeat everyone.

And I'm barely in position to do that.

I try to rush to where she is, but I'm too late.

Natalia dies, and I have to start the mission over.

Luckily, I am more careful next time. I decide to go around the outside, using the Dash skill to make my units faster whenever possible. Earnest also follows behind, in order to offer healing and combo support.

But it's not like the group needs him. Everything they get to is destroyed. Even Heugoe falls easily. Unlike Darius, he is not completely resistant to ice. It just does less damage, but I have more than enough.

And so ends this part of the path, as Natalia is saved, but the rebellion has been put down.

And as Natalia and Earnest join my party, I am left to ponder what happens in this path. It is my favorite path, because it gives the best ending to Natalia, Earnest, and, depending on who one asks, Heugoe. This is also the only path where Natalia and her children survive. The only one who doesn't get a chance at a happy ending is Darius, but judging it how heartbroken he is in the path where he does survive, perhaps death truly is the better option for him…

But the problem with this path is that it's very rushed and undeveloped compared to the other two that player can take. The rebels don't get many moments before they're put down. It also happens very quickly, so there's not much to care about. It gets a bit better if the other paths are played, but not by much. It could be a chance of the game being realistic, or Wylfred and his sense of detachment, but it's still a bit of a disappointment.

Interesting thing would be if the rebels succeeded, and what would happen. Would they take care of the dispute over the crown as well, or would they make it worse? I imagine they'd also have to deal with Villnore, although probably much later. The thing that makes this interesting is that had Natalia's rebellion succeeded, it could have prevented the war before it even truly starts. That would also prevent Artolia from being torn apart. Of course, Natalia would eventually have to deal with Wylfred's contract and its effects. I wonder how she would handle seeing the true boss of the game. It might be interesting story to write…

Also, this is the only happy ending for Natalia, and her children survive too. It's not known what she does after this, but I'd like to think she goes and finds them. Hopefully they get back together. Maybe Earnest can be their stepdad. Of course, she might be horrified upon finding out what they've become... She'd have a long way to go in teaching them proper manners, if she ever could…

But enough theorizing. Today is a busy day for Fire Emblem: Heroes, being the start of a new month.

Because a new month means new quests!

And it's also a new day! And a new day means new progress in the Voting Gauntlet.

So let's get to it.

And it looks like I finally have success.

There's a green unit, Nino, with Xander, a red horseback unit. Last of all is Cherche, my green flier.

I'm against Tana, a blue flyer, Ryoma, a red swordsman, and Cordelia, an archer.

So I manage to win by putting my units first out of range and letting the enemy come closer.

First, I send in Nino to deal with Cordelia. Xander takes out Ryoma, and Cherche hangs back.

Nino and Xander get injured by the enemies. However, since the other enemies are defeated, Cherche is able to fly in and take out Tana.

And that nets me a win, along with some precious Orbs.

Unfortunately, my next time doesn't go as well.

I've got a bunch of red units (Tharja and Alm) and Cherche against a bunch of blue magic users (Delthea and Reinhart). There's also a lance wielding Robin there just to be annoying. I try to send Cherche in to get rid of the blue users.

But things don't go according to plan.

Cherche is destroyed, and I've nothing left.

So the match is lost. Easily.

But the next match has me on the winning side, with Olwen exterminating a bunch of red units. She's one of the best units in the game. Needless to say she's also one of the ones I'm looking for.

But summoning can come later. For now, more quests await.

The next quests are the Seal Quests. Seals are important because they hold some of the best skills in the game. They also can be attached separately from regular skills. The catch is that there can only be one of each Seal Skill. Furthermore, many of them are very difficult to get. There are quests that run for a limited time, and others are exclusive to certain modes, and only if the player does well.

Nevertheless, they are worth getting.

And so I begin.

The first few quests are easy. They involve using the main trio to defeat enemies.

However, the next few quests take a little more work. They involve using a set of units (Raigh, Arthur, and Matthew) who are awarded to the player after clearing the original quests. The main idea is having them defeat certain enemies.

However, the enemies are tougher, and the units weak. Unfortunately, I have difficulty finding proper places to complete the quest. The enemies are at the proper levels at around the latter half of the story quests.

However, the units can't beat them without being beaten themselves. While I have the means to revive, I'm choosing not to because I don't want to waste Orbs.

So it's off to the Training Tower. Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of enemies with proper levels. At least it is easier, and the units get stronger.

But that's enough questing for now.

Well, other than the Voting Gauntlet. I need to win at least five matches there to get the best rewards.

Unfortunately, I have a very close match in my third, but ends up being a loss. I will probably try a few more times today, though.


	59. September 2, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are the property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 2, 2017)**

Time for another entry, and yet another display of Fire Emblem: Heroes. Today I start with the easier quests, the ones that my army can do on their own. They're cleared effortlessly.

Another thing that is cleared effortlessly is the Voting Gauntlet. It is much easier now that the opponent's army is weaker.

And something else happens.

All the extra Orbs mean I can perform a summoning. And so I joyfully do.

With that, I summon a Hero I'm looking for, Eldigan.

Only two more to find… Too bad he still doesn't get a happy ending… Although I like to pretend he does…

But enough about that, it's on to the solo run.

My Mimikyu, Alice, is raring to go. But before that I have to pick another Pokémon, and have them help me through the game's tutorial. So I pick Rowlet.

Why Rowlet?

For a very specific reason.

Mimikyu is weak to only two types, Ghost and Steel. Unfortunately, Rowlet's final form is a Ghost Type. If is not selected as the starter at the beginning of the game, it will appear near the end of it. And I'd rather not have to deal with it.

The tutorial is predictable, and easy, as expected. But now, the real fun begins. My starter is replaced by a level 1 Mimikyu, and the solo run commences.

Luckily, it is also easy in the early game.

Mimikyu's speed and physical attack power are higher than most of what's in the game at this point. Furthermore, its moveset is not bad. It starts off with Splash, Copycat, Astonish, and Scratch. Scratch and Astonish are my main attacking moves. Splash and Copycat are quickly replaced by Double Team and Baby Doll Eyes.

But just because it is strong does not mean it is invincible.

I run into problems at the schoolyard with Grimer and Poison Gas. Poison can be deadly to Mimikyu, since it doesn't have much stamina. Also, there are Grimer and Meowth in the schoolyard. Grimer and Meowth both know Bite, and that does neutral damage. Luckily, I still manage to win.

But there are problems outside of battle. One of them is about something called Pokémon Refresh. Pokémon Refresh allows one to increase the stat called affection. Affection, when properly increased, gives many benefits that will help in battle. And seeing as I'm doing a solo run, I need all the benefits I can get.

But there is a problem. There is a set of motions that need to be done in order to increase affection, and I've difficulty doing them. This is because I do not carry a stylus at the moment. As a result, I'm supposed to pet my Pokémon, but I end up accidentally slapping it… Luckily, affection does not decrease… Finally, I do get my hands on a stylus, adding to the proper motions start getting the benefits.

I also have to be wary of just how much I battle. Alice, the Pokémon taking part in the solo run, is a traded Pokémon. This means she gets more experience after battle, but at the cost of not obeying me if she becomes too strong. Alola's stamps for ensuring obedience are spread out, so it's likely I may run into a situation where Alice is too strong and there's no stamp in sight. I just have to hope this doesn't happen. As a bit of a minor nitpick, I also can't change her name, but I'm pretty comfortable with it now. And it's just a Pokémon Bank hop away if I decide to do that.

Finally, after leaving the schoolyard, I get a TM for Work Up. Work Up is a good TM for Mimikyu at this point, because it helps increase its decent attack stats. There are better things down the road, but for now it replaces Baby Doll Eyes.

But there is one more challenge to surmount. And that is the Trial Captain Iilma. Iilma has a Pokémon called Yugoos. Yugoos may be common, but not to be underestimated. His knows Pursuit, another neutral damage attack. And he can use another attack called Leer to increase the damage. I manage to win, but I am injured.

My last thing to do is to transfer some items. I have the special demo version of the game, so I can transfer some items that will help me financially. I do so, and prepare to head to the north.

But that's enough of my solo run. Because it's time for something else.

A classic Nuzlocke. That Nuzlocke being Pokémon Emerald.

Normally, this game would be done using a chat room. But right now it is not.

And why is that the case?

Because I don't have the Internet connection to enter the chat room at the moment.

So instead my journey will be detailed here.

This journey will be in two separate posts, each detailing an hour's worth of play time. The end result of each time is posted on a list somewhere else.

So let's begin.

My last time was at the Magma Hideout, or at least the beginning of it. Now I continue through it. The grunts here are easy pickings, thankfully.

After a while, I find it.

A Fire Stone.

With this and the Leaf Stone I am guaranteed to get later, the game may as well be history.

But I will save that for another time as I continue through the hideout.

The grunts may be weak, but they sure are hilarious. There's the one that constantly misses rollcall and is stuck in a corner, and then there's the one that hates heat and thinks he should've joined the other Team…

It's really a shame, because the remakes are based on the original Ruby and Sapphire, instead of Emerald. I would've loved to see this place remade, instead of going out of existence…

But that's neither here nor there.

Instead I have Tabitha and Maxie to deal with.

Tabitha goes down easily, but Maxie proves a bit more interesting.

He has a Crawdaunt, which is the strongest Pokémon of the opposing Team Aqua. He also has a Camelrupt, which is his strongest Pokémon in a regular run.

It's nothing if not amusing.

His last Pokémon is Pelipper, which is even more unsuitable for him…

Nevertheless, he is beaten, and I continue.

And I get another Leaf Stone. Now three of my Pokémon that could not evolve before can… I have a feeling the game won't last much longer…

But before I can continue to make my team the strongest, I must continue to the next hideout, Aqua.

The grunts here are still weak. But there's still some difficulties. Such as one grunt with an exploding Fortress and a Latios.

And another with a Crobat who nearly kills my starter, Sun, using multiple status problems.

But the problem is going to be the warp panels scattered throughout the hideout. They're nothing if not annoying…

At least I finally find my way to where the Master Ball lies. Although it might not be a Master Ball now…

And to get to the items, I have to past two Pokémon

One of which is a Regirock, which explodes on contact. It severely injures my Altaria, but she survives. The second is an Alakazam, but I am luckier there. I name it Lucian, after the male Psychic Elite Four member.

After that, I head to the center of the hideout to finish things off.

Luckily, things are easy, and I am back to Lilycove.

What's not easy is putting all the items I found to good use.

Because that requires training. And a lot of it.

But that will be for next time.


	60. September 2, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies. Also, see the author's notes for details.**

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**Writing: Backstage Pass (September 2, 2017)**

Today, an exciting entry. Nanowrito is coming up! I've already started making plans about what I plan to do. There are a couple stories and the need to narrow down to one. The Valkyrie Profile fan fiction where everyone joined as one, and it's probably the most well drafted. Most of it is here on this very blog. There's also the fan fiction about Kyra, but little is known about her and little is known about her game. It would take a while to research what is going on. 100 Tales is another contender, based off of the Fire Emblem 100 challenge. However, that would be difficult to write, since it involves 100 chapters. Another fan fiction called Noble Demon was said to be the original contender, but most likely will not be. In order to do the Valkyrie Profile fan fiction, I will most likely need a game script or using the Wiki about the game. I have a few days to decide more things, at least before I begin drafting.

Speaking of the game script, there's the matter of the game script I have and what happens to it. I have a game script that I made myself, and I am unsure where to post it. If I hurry, I can finish it before Nanowrito starts. I was thinking of also turning it into a one-shot collection, based on the script.

In other exciting news, Price of Rebirth will begin its restart soon. My first step will be researching the different games that can be used for it, as well as what information is available. After this research, no new games will be added to the worlds, other than series that have new entries. Furthermore, all notes will be collected. If a note has more than one thing on it, the most recent notes will be taken as material for the story.

There are some changes to Price of Rebirth. Rosea has heavy involvement, where there was not much before. Her idea of working with purity because that's what others want goes well with the main character's mission. Specifically, this is important because a massive part of the main character is being purified. This also means that Liselotte will get a larger role as well, but what that role is unknown.

The main character's development is different. Originally, she stood as a mercenary who desired freedom over all. Now, she still starts off as a mercenary, but moves away from it as she realizes the downsides to it. These downsides include lack of companionship, and lack of trust, which are both things the character thrives on. There's also the ability to work well on a team, something she has, but mercenaries generally work alone. There is also the character trait of secretly wanting be near people. Her main problem is that she wants to be perceived as trustworthy, but is afraid she will not be. She also realizes that freedom means nothing if there's no one to trust. She also has stalwart allies and the goals to fight for, neither of which most mercenary characters have.

There's also the issue of her power. In the original draft, she had difficulties controlling her power, but now it stems to difficulties controlling the emotions surrounding it, and the anxiety it brings. This in turn, causes her to lose control, even if it is not directly her power. However, a lot of people think it's her power, which is part of the entire conflict. It is also this revelation the helps with her confidence issues. It also makes the protagonist's story a bit different from the many others who happen to have issues with unique powers and control. Finally, this makes the fact the wandering she does make more sense, because in all reality, someone with a dangerous power that could go out of control at any moment should be stopped as soon as possible.

In earlier versions, the protagonist met Rotom, similar to Pokémon Sun and Moon. In the new version, she does not meet Rotom at all. Instead, she has a Mimikyu be the equivalent, possibly wielding weapons alongside her (it will be common for monsters to wield weapons alongside their owners in this universe if that is the case). This Mimikyu also fights alongside Chewy, who stays almost same as he was in earlier drafts. The Mimikyu's name is confirmed to be Meredith, and she is also confirmed to have no relationship to the Mimikyu used in Sun and Ultra Sun. The Mimikyu there are named Charlotte and Abigail, respectively. She also has no relation to Alice, the Mimikyu in the solo runs, or Margaret, the one first seen in Parade. It might be possible for them to all meet each other, however.

The protagonist will actually meet her Pokémon differently. In original drafts, her Pokémon simply hatched from an egg that she bought. Now, she has a vision beforehand, and it uses its allusions to lead her on a quest to find it. This is in the marketplace, where she would've normally bought the egg. There might also be some sort of puzzle involved. It makes sense for this to happen because it's very similar to what actually happens to players when they reach the marketplace in Pokémon Sun. Mimikyu are only shown living in a marketplace, so it would make sense for one to be there. It also gets rid of the problem of having a very young character saddled with a baby (even if it is a Pokémon). Of course, the Mimikyu would annoy the shopkeeper, Anna. But this also makes sense as ghost Pokémon are known pranksters, and they have also been known to take people into otherworldly places (illusions or no).

The idea of this is that it's a sort of trial, and the Mimikyu is looking for a friend. Anyone treating it with kindness can become its Trainer. The protagonist passes the trial by following it all the way to the end, and befriending the Mimikyu rather than being terrified of it. She also has an advantage due to her instinctive connection with the spirit world, but she at first doesn't realize she has the connection. She also doesn't realize she's crossed over from the mortal world to the spirit world (or even that she can do that).

Some parts of the Special Forces (Zilva's arc) are different. Now, in order to pass the test of moving shadows, the protagonist is able to force herself to act like a normal person for short periods outside of combat. In order to do this, she begs for an alteration from Gloria Union's Tracy, even though the latter is concerned. The others are surprised, and originally believed to Tracy forced the protagonist act this way, although she reveals it is the opposite. However, Zilva in particular is grateful that she is able to finally able to act normally when faced with things that would typically slow down. This is both for her own safety and because the freelancers would have forced Zilva's exile otherwise.

There's also the idea of the powerful spirit Kriterra framing the latter for certain things. This includes the death of the Artolian King, the murder of Sir Cennair, and the fall of Corrin. She is very clear that she is causing everything, and everyone thinks she is sloppy. However, Zilva realizes she's doing this because she is arrogant, and believes no one can stop her. This is also proven when she is able to go toe to toe with the goddesses, believed to be impossible by many.

This also leads many to believe that the protagonist and Kriterra are the same person, and that the protagonist really is committing all the evil acts. However, there's no proof either way. Beatrice believes she has confirmed that this isn't because none of her memories show her being capable of transforming like that, even unwillingly. The form is also never seen other than a separate entity. Unfortunately, this is not believed because the others claim that the protagonist can easily create false memories. It's worth noting that Beatrice is not really trusted that point, so her theories are discussed.

The protagonist will be less manipulative and or to make her more appealing. However, she is still flawed, and realizes the consequences of her flaws and manipulation easier. That's not to say that she doesn't use manipulation and other timelines, and she still has to do many horrible things in order to be punished later (because that punishment must occur). The main problem may instead be not realizing consequences all the time, especially when overwhelmed by the emotion she is shown not to able to control. This affects the punishment because others are not as harsh with her, and she's even seen in a lot less negative light (more of a person).

In the final timeline, she is not at all on Vellman's side. However she is still rude to and dislikes him. The protagonist may also not be as violent, realizing the consequences of that from seeing others that violent. Her previously violent nature may be transferred to other characters. However, she still has instinctive reaction to fight, which she regrets. I feel like it makes him look more like someone who grew up fighting, unless like a person is absolutely crazy. This is not mean that she doesn't act crazy in the other timelines.

Another idea comes through with Kriterra in the final timeline not being closed unless she is defeated or punished. Rosea points out that even if she was to heal everything herself, it still doesn't change the fact that the people in the timeline are broken, and Kriterra still remains.

But enough of Price of Rebirth; now it's time for something more lighthearted.

That something is Alice and her solo run. If Alice's journey could be defined in one word, I say it is nostalgia. It's basically an example of how I used to play games versus how I play them now. When I was younger, I would pick my favorite Pokémon (or other gaming mechanic) and simply enjoy the journey. Of course, I would still try to get what I can, even though my knowledge was limited. Now, I play deadly challenge runs and create stories with higher stakes. Every move is calculated, instead of just blissfully going through. Now 100% completion is not an option, but usually a requirement. It's almost cynical, in a way. Not that the new way is bad, just different. However, it makes this run feel a lot more lighthearted than other games. This is because it's different than the Semilockes, in both the narrative and gameplay. I may write a comparison story, but I'm not sure what it would entail.

Now there's the idea of what Alice actually does. It's possible something is wrong and she is the only one who can fix it. It might have to deal with freeing the gods, since legendaries are required to caught in this run. Perhaps there is something involving the Ultra Beasts. She's also confirmed to be depowered somehow by the time of Ultra Sun/Moon.

May as well do something about the one-shots too. After all, the Binding of Isaac is winding down, so it's time to think of what I'm going to do next. I predict it will be something more lighthearted, such as Imitation or any of the eclipse stories. The fanfiction about the endings of Claire may also work, even though it's still a bit on the dark side. At least it ends happily. The comparison story of Alice might also be interesting, although that run hasn't gotten very far. Something about capturing Arceus may be shown. I may also write something about the Tempest Trials, in honor of the mini one coming up. A tribute to Twitch plays Pokémon is also being considered. Undertale is also another contender, but I believe I will watch the game before doing stories for it.

Another story that may be coming soon is the story for the game I'm playing now. This story is for a Pokémon Emerald Randomizer Nuzlocke. What is known about the stories that flashbacks of the Altar will be included. This is a reference to winning that particular run when it was lost before. The Pokémon at the end shown may be in a picture book, which is similar to the ending of the original game when pictures of Pokémon the player has captured are shown. The final team will also be shown, although they may not be in battle. Events such as accidentally signing up and Trainers slowly dropping will be in the story. Also, if I'm the only person remaining in the run, I will write something about going on for all of them, and the Pokémon that fell.

The last thing is the Valkyrie Ptofle fanfic where everyone has a happy ending. I'm having trouble doing one for Ailyth, the problem being is that she's only happy when the others suffer. Perhaps she gets an equivalent to Wylfred. Giving an equivalent deprives that person of a happy ending. The closest I can think of are Fauxnel and Gwendal, although I am leaning towards the former because of my dislike.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So, a lot to unpack here.**

**-Nanowritmo stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's a massive competition taking place during the entire month of November, featuring writers from all over the world. Both fan fiction and original writers may enter, although the two types of writing are in separate categories. The goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of November, although participants can also go above 50,000 words if they wish. All word counts and anything else written has to be logged into a special site in order to count. In addition, if anything takes place during the month of November that would cause a writer not to be able to write (such as illness or vacation), that time cannot be made up. However, several tools exist to help writers in their Nanowritmo journeys. These tools range from helpful websites, special events, and even entire communities where writers can talk with others. **

**At the time this entry was written, I knew several people who participated regularly in Nanowritmo. The idea of having a large writing group working towards the single appeal to me, and I thought of trying it myself. So I started writing down ideas I could use. However, my aspirations to and work out for a few issues. One was that I couldn't decide what I wanted to use, since I knew I would need something I could write quickly and with little planning. Unfortunately, most of my ideas required a lot of planning, and thus whatever words I wrote would probably just be notes instead of an actual story. Furthermore, I didn't like the idea of suddenly having my writing for fun being turned into something with a stringent deadline, and almost something that I was forced to constantly. Finally, I realized I wasn't the ideal type of writer for that particular contest. I typically do a lot of planning before writing anything, which makes most of my writing methodical but polished. If that planning were taken away, then my writing style goes way with that (and to a lesser extent, my identity as a writer). And the time for Nanowritmo is so short there would be almost no way to plan. With all of these issues, I chose not to partake in Nanowritmo, but keep the ideas I did have for future stories. However, it took me a while to get the decision, which is why I mention the contest here.**

**-The Valkyrie Profile Covenant of the Plume game script was something I'd been working on for a while at the time this blog was written. For a long time after the game released, there was no game script and not much information about the characters. Therefore, I decided to create one myself and posted on appropriate sites. However, the sheer amount of text in the game as well as the fact that the many different paths required playing the game over and over made doing the game script difficult. Furthermore, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume wasn't one of my favorite games, so it wasn't one that I would play repeatedly if I hadn't chosen to write down the script. Compline matters further is that longer after the game was released, a lot of its information was written down by other people, including events from the script and areas of the script itself. So I didn't have a lot of motivation (or need) to finish what I was doing. As of this writing, the script is still unfinished. It's not known if I will finish it, or what I will do with a finished script.**

**-And here is some talk about the start of restarting the Price of Rebirth. Price of Rebirth was a story that I worked on a long time throughout the years, but constantly took down, restarted, and reposted. These restarts include major changes to the protagonist and the world she lived in. In addition, Price of Rebirth was to become a series of major crossovers where characters from different video games traveled to each other's worlds in order to stop an overarching war. The main character was an original one, but eventually gained knowledge of the video game worlds by traveling around and trying to find her own way to stop the war. However, around the time I was ready to restart Price of Rebirth, I started writing things for the other series Traveler. Later on, I realized the protagonist of Price of Rebirth fit much better in that series. So I took down everything I had from there, transferred what I could've the protagonist over, and resolved to write Price of Rebirth with a new protagonist. However, when I will start doing that, and the details of the new protagonist, is not known. This blog takes place before I made my decision about Traveler's character, hence why Price of Rebirth is talked about like it's a current project. **

**-The other characters mentioned here that have not been mentioned before are from the Department of Heaven series. Though it is not very popular, the Department of Heaven series was, and still is, one of my favorite videogame series. Therefore, I wanted it to play a major role in Price of Rebirth. So I wrote a lot of notes for it in this entry. The mention characters are mostly villains canonically in the Department of Heaven series. However, they are usually not seen as such in Price of Rebirth, even if the protagonist and the canon characters do clash.**


	61. September 3, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! All characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 3, 2017)**

Welcome to another entry! This time, with a Semilocke! I'll be doing Valkyrie Profile now, at least until both Pokémon Emerald training and the Mimikyu solo runs are done.

So let us begin.

Well, as long as my 3DS is working. When I boot it up, I get a black screen. I'm bit scared, seeing as I've heard horror stories of peoples' 3DS no longer working suddenly.

Luckily there's a simple fix. It appears that taking out my SD card and booting it up without it allows it to run. Putting the SD card back in after this solves the problem.

It was a problem and had a few years ago. It's just been so long since I cropped up I forgot that it could occur. I made a note to myself that was the first thing I would do if I it had again…

Regardless, the Semilocke can finally continue. And so it does.

I enter the third chapter, and where the best path finally gets to start. However, it doesn't have the strongest start. Almost all the enemies here are monsters, so there is a lack of variety. It also makes strategies too easy, since the freezing attack Avalanche of the Jotun can easily bring them down.

However, a new character is met, Ushio. Ushio is an interesting character with good development. He lives only for the sword and for his fallen master, who was murdered. He seeks to avenge him, and believes that Rosea, one of the other characters wandering around, may have something to do with it. He's not the brightest, but he is willing to listen to reason if someone stops him. This is why he doesn't kill Rosea on sight after Wylfred explains that she most likely did not commit the crime. He is also willing to go after Liselotte, after being given some evidence that she did.

Eventually, after fighting some more monsters, Rosea tries to convince Ushio and Wylfred to give up their revenge. She explains that revenge is not worth living for, because only hatred comes of it. She also explains how she was willing to forsake her own path for revenge after the death of her master (also Ushio's). She realized revenge wouldn't give her anything, and set out healing the world, as she knew her master and the other mages would've wanted her to do. This is something I really like about the path, because it completes the development of Rosea. The other path with her focuses more on her negative traits and what hatred she has remaining. This path focuses on her positive traits, and how she manages the desire to seek revenge.

Anyway, it seems her plan is working.

But it all ends up in vain.

Liselotte appears, and the two girls get into a fight. Ushio becomes enraged after seeing his master's supposed killer.

And of course I have to fight.

The monsters here are easy, especially with my powerful weapons. But Liselotte, not as much.

And this is because of her deadly attack, Infrit Caress.

Infrit Caress has the ability to defeat all of my units, being one of the Great Magics.

And it does, defeating both Natalia and Lockswell. Liselotte doesn't have much defense, so she's defeated on the next turn.

The only other problem I have is monsters getting stuck on railings after being frozen, and having to wait for them to move. Luckily, that it not hard. And the mission is completed easily.

Unfortunately, both the girls die, and Ushio is left to wonder what he has to live for. His revenge may or may not be fulfilled, and he has no clues leading to the killer of his master. Heartbroken, he joins Wylfred.

And perhaps there's time for some explanation. I like the court mage plot, but I feel it isn't handled well. For one, there's the matter of Ushio. He's not even mentioned in any of the other paths, let alone seen. This despite the fact that it would make perfect sense for him to appear in any of the paths or least get mentioned. And why isn't he a suspect in the murder? I know that he left, but people also know he was close to Cennair (his and the other characters' master). While he isn't a mage, he could easily have ordered one to kill Cennair. There's also a mage called Fauxnel. Yet he is neither suspected nor mentioned, at least until much later. Wouldn't he be suspected along with the girls, or least mentioned by them?

Not to mention that would make more sense for the girls to band together. They were friends before this, and neither of them did it, and they know they both didn't. So it makes sense to band together to find the real killer, but instead they act like enemies. It's very odd… I would think they would suspect Fauxnel, or even Ushio…

What's even funnier is that Fauxnel can eventually join the party, and Ushio can be with him… So what happens when he finds out what Fauxnel did? Perhaps he gets his revenge later…

And it appears Rosea was supposed to deliver a letter to the crown city, but of course it never made it. The letter was supposed to tell the princes stop the war, but it has a few problems. For one, there's what happens in the game where the letter was never delivered. For two, the letter could be delivered and the war could so go on because someone ignored it.

Honestly, it doesn't really work.

It could be argued this is what the game is about. Everyone tries to stop the war in their own way, but almost everyone fails. Even those who succeed can be considered failed, knowing what happens at the end.

Speaking of at the end, there's perhaps one more subject I should talk about.

The subject of Natalia and Earnest. Earnest is a lancer, like Heugoe in the C Path. Natalia, however, is a completely different class. She's a rogue, which means she doesn't have good attack or defense, but is incredibly fast. Her range is low as well, but she uses daggers, which allows her to get a lot of hits. She's a bit difficult to keep alive right now, mainly because she doesn't have the ability to equip a lot of defensive skills. But if I can keep her alive, it will be well worth it.

There's also an interesting conundrum; what to do if Natalia does die. Natalia is a major character in the Leafgreen Semilocke, and she made it onto the final team. This also means that she's a legacy character in the final. This means that by the Semilocke rules, she must appear. However, she can still die here. However, I'm not sure what to do if she does. It's possible I may use the explanation of the Leafgreen version's Natalia being from another world. However, I am not sure.

For now, I must concentrate on my training in Emerald. I need to be able to complete it and do the next section before the end of the coming week.

So I go to pick a place train, but I have some issues. The Pokémon are strong, and some of mine lack attacks. However, I finally find a place to train. It's both ironic and morbid that it should be Mt. Pyre. But it has a lot of Bug and Grass Pokémon, so it's easy to train.

Perhaps I will finish it next time.


	62. September 4, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 4, 2017)**

So here comes another blog entry!

First, some progress on the Mimikyu solo run. I head to the cemetery. How fitting... A Ghost Type Pokémon, fighting there… Even more fitting that one of the Pokémon has to fight against is Pikachu… I wonder how it feels about that…

Also, starting to notice the difference in items. For example, I can't shrug off status effects by switching, so X items become very useful. On the other hand, Revives are completely useless, so any are sold for money. There's also the problem of Poké Beans. Usually, they're easily found on Poké Pedalgo, but I won't have access to that now. The place requires boxed Pokémon to run, and a solo run can't use boxed Pokémon, or catch any that are not mandatory. However, these items are important because they increase affection, and having enough of them can get me Rare Candies to increase levels.

Also, I acquire the move Shadow Sneak. This is used to replace Astonish, as my main Ghost Type move. Speaking of ghosts, Illimia's trial begins here, and it's easy because of all the Normal Type Pokémon. Not to mention they don't even use their neutral damage moves…

However, the Totem Pokémon poses a different issue… It's a two against one battle, and they both use neutral attacks (Bite). They also focus on lowering stats, including speed. I have a bit of a problem with flinching after my speed is lowered. The opponents also do damage with critical hits, which is a problem. They consistently lower defense, and Mimikyu's defense is already not the greatest, but somehow I win. The Z-move for Normal Types is my prize, and I decide to use it because one of my main moves is Scratch. It replaces the Quick Claw from the school.

That's all for now. Onto the Fire Emblem Heroes Voting Gauntlet. Unfortunately, my character, Lyn loses. That means it's on to support the other character, Camilla. Unfortunately, the Voting Gauntlet is tougher now the armies are even in power, and I have difficulty winning matches. Eventually, my opponent pulls away, and I stopped fighting. But there are other things to do. A new Summoning Focus and bonuses are available. The bonus doubles what is received after battle. It's the perfect time to train teams and finish quests.

So I start by using Inherit Skill on some of my people that are already trained up. But I have difficulty picking skills, mainly because of limitations. At first I want her to inherit Swordbreaker to get rid of her weapon triangle advantage. However, I quickly realize she can't. I try to get her to inherit Wary Fighter, but she can't do that either. So finally I finish giving her some skills from Cecelia with Escape Route. Cherche is often far away from support, so the ability to escape will be useful.

And yet another thing calls my attention. There is a repeat of the battle with Narcian, and I want to be able to clear his quests. I try putting escape route to use in the battle, whisking Cherche away after she is attacked by magic. But my units are injured, and Narcian quickly kills Odin. A direct approach is much better, and I get Narcian again.

One last thing happens as I use Skill Inheritance again. I need to make my thief, Gaius, stronger. So I give him some skills from Peri. Specifically, he gets the offensive attack Glimmer, and the defensive attack Threaten Defense. It's the weakest version of the latter, but it's better than nothing…

And off I go to the Valkyrie Profile Semilocke. Where my meet my least favorite character, Fauxnel. Fauxnel is a character with sinister motivations, but unlike others, he seems to have no reason for them… Not to mention the fact that he's good at deceiving almost every other character in the game, and doesn't seem to have and of remorse. Then again, it's been a while since I played this path, so maybe he does and I just don't remember… Regardless, he still is my least favorite character.

There is also a major problem with this route; development. And there's no clearer example than Wylfred. In this route, it's easy to see Wylfred straying from his path of sinning and battle. However, the development seems a bit too fast. One moment, he's thinking about what revenge might mean, and the next, he's thinking of giving up. A bit more development in between chapters would've been nice. There is also some foreshadowing with Aliyth on this route. If one has played the route before, it's easy to guess what she does at the end…

Wintergard returns with all its snow, and it is still annoying. At least it's easier now, being in a side battle… However, there is another thing that I have a problem with; Valmur. As a character, his development and personality are a bit cliché. He doesn't want to go to war, and his development is realizing he has to. However, his original way of thinking is not logical, because the world is at war and he rules over a military house… And if he doesn't attack, one of the sides may come for him… It would make more sense if he just charged forward with everything he had…

There's also an issue of the mission he has on this path. It's a protection mission, but he's all the way at the bottom of the map when my units start at the top. This Sin requirement is high, but I can't use Ratatoskr's Scandal because it will hurt him too… So the mission is annoying… But I will finish it next time…

Perhaps I will finish it off with a bit of Pokémon Emerald. I'm having a little trouble leveling a Pokémon. It's Gloom, and all it has is Acid… Luckily, I have the Experience Share, so hopefully things will be easier… However, it is still tedious.


	63. September 5, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 5, 2017)**

Well, it's a fine day for Fire Emblem Heroes! And a fine day for Skill Inheritance, it seems. The first on the list is Eliwood. He received some attack boosting skills from a spare Cherche I have. Harsh Command and Spur Speed are also useful. They both come from Claire. In other news, there is enough Orbs to do a summoning now. There's not much, other than a 5* version of Cordelia. It's a unit I already have, but I will take all the 5*s I can get…

Skill Inheritance continues. Harsh Command is passed down again from Sazio to Odin. The skills and Odin's attacks work well together. Breath of Life is the only useful thing to give to Odin at the moment. He inherited it from Felicia. With that, my only thing now is to train the other teams, but they will need all their skills before they can use inheritance. It's worth noting there's something called a Mini Tempest Trials going on. It's a little too late for me to benefit completely from it now, as I probably won't have the teams trained up in time. However, it's still worth participating in, because the rewards are easier to get and some rewards that I missed the first time come back. Speaking of events, the Voting Gauntlet is easier now that the two teams are even. At least, I'm able to get all the rewards I need to.

Next thing to come as the Emerald Nuzlocke. Unfortunately, this is the point in the game where it decides to start throwing a bunch of water at the player… Therefore, not much happens. I catch a few new Pokémon, and a lot of training happens on the land. I had for my seventh Gym Badge, and have a bit of trouble with the redesigned Mossdeep City Gym. The battles themselves are easy, and I reach Tate and Lisa in no time. The battle isn't that memorable, but it is a bit long. This is because I have a Tentacruel and Armaldo against a Relicanth and Altaria… Other than that, there's the battles that the Mossdeep Space Center, and of course, I forget about the event. This is because it is Emerald exclusive, and I haven't played Emerald outside of this challenge in years.

And off to the Valkyrie Profile Semilocke. Well, hopefully.

The 3DS is still having trouble starting with Valkyrie Profile in the slot… But if I finally seem to have found the problem… When DS cards get older, they corrode and need to be cleaned. If they corrode too much, the 3DS either can't start or will start, but not show the game. This problem can be fixed by either physically cleaning the corroded parts, or by taking the game in and out of its slot a few times. I can also make sure not to start the 3DS with the game in the slot. It would make sense, seeing as I have had the game for a long time, and this can also occur if the game has not been played for a while (which this game hasn't). I do the latter solution and it works fine. This would also explain why couldn't catch the problem before, because I typically do not begin the 3DS with a DS game in its slot. The 3DS is also more sensitive to corrosion than other systems, which is why other systems that have played the game have not detected the problem.

So now the game actually starts. But I'm back on that stupid mission with Valmur… And he decides to be even stupider, running back and forth on the map… I have no idea where he's going to go, and he winds up running around in circles…

No one ever said he was smart, I guess…

But what is smart is the enemies. There are a bunch of stairways in this map, and enemies have the idea to block them. The stairways can only be traversed one square at a time, so blocking that means that units can only engage in single combat. It makes the enemies difficult to take down, because only one unit can fight at a time.

Despite all the problems, I manage to rescue Valmur.

And he dies anyway.

To further twist the knife, it is after he dies that he finds out Fauxnel was the one responsible. Oh, and Fauxnel killed Valmur's brother earlier on in the game…

And Fauxnel is one of Valmur's best friends…

But Valmur forgives him, and when given the option to haunt him, forgoes it. Instead, he chooses to see his brother again in Valhalla, and states that his that he feels nothing but pity for Fauxnel.

With that, the two head off.

I might not like Valmur's characterization, but I do like how his character is consistent. End of the C route notwithstanding, he always has the same character of caring for his family and being relatively peaceful. And he also has the same development of realizing war is coming and sometimes one must fight. How he reacts that depends on the route.

It's a bit different from some of the other characters, who have to have all routes played in order to unlock every aspect of their personality. That aside, Valmur is content to move on without justice.

But Wylfred sure isn't.

He goes to confront Fauxnel, and I am thrown into battle. Luckily, the battle is easy, because the enemies are mostly monsters. Fauxnel himself doesn't even use his Great Magic, and falls easily to physical attacks just like any other sorcerer.

And this is where my hatred of Fauxnel is renewed.

It is revealed that Fauxnel is behind almost every conflict in the game thus far, and has killed several people in order to avenge his fallen noble house. He wants the war to go on, continuing to wreak his revenge, and thinking that the world will be united under a single monarch. Already, because of said war, many people are dying.

But his actions still are not justified, and Wylfred even says as much. Fauxnel doesn't seem to care or have much remorse, but somehow, Wylfred convinces him to try and find a way to stop the war.

So Fauxnel is my least favorite character in all of the series. But at the same time he is a good example of the game's theme of how much damage revenge can do. Now, no one trusts him, his house still has not redeemed, and he sacrificed everyone who considered him a friend. And after all that, he still has nothing…

Looking at Fauxnel, Wylfred's development makes a bit more sense, but it still seems rather rushed…

So now I have to get the margrave to deliver a letter to the princes.

But this is where I stop. The next chapter is long.


	64. September 6, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 6, 2017)**

Today is a good Fire Emblem Heroes day!So let us begin with some training!

And of course, while training, I find out about the uses of all the different characters. Reinhart's reputation as one of the best characters in the game is well earned. Unlike most mages, Reinhart actually has defense, as well as good attack power. He also has a horse, which enables him to move fast quickly.

Gray also has his uses, having higher stats than most of my units. He's also good against the horses that populate the game.

Legion unfortunately has issues. He has lower status than most of my units, and his best skill has him losing health every turn. Not to mention he can't attack twice very often, and takes a lot damage. However, he does manage to promote once and catch up to the others.

There are more problems than units, though.

One of them involves a rather large updates, and I currently don't have the Internet connection for it. Luckily, I am heading out later, so I will make sure the update gets safely downloaded them.

But for now I'm back with the Mimikyu solo run! Now that I have faced the captain's trial, time to battle the kahuna and get off the island!

But there's a few things I have to do first.

One is the introduction to Z-power. Of course I don't need it, but I'm forced to watch anyway… Afterward, I notice that Alice (my Mimikyu) has three different attacks. Along with the regular Z-move, she seems to have abilities for support and attack. It might be useful, but for now, I'm just going to keep attacking.

I make my way down the next route, stopping towards a meadow. It seems it's time to battle Hau.

And the first Pokémon he decides to send out is Pikachu. I decide to pulverize it with my new Z move. Not only does this happen, but I also get a critical.

I find it rather fitting… Popplio goes down with Shadow Sneak, and I continue down the route. Along the way, Alice's affection is maxed out, which means the benefits are as strong as they can be.

The game should be much easier now.

There's not much to note here, other than the hilarity that is the Red Card user. The thing that makes it so hilarious is that his power is useless, because Red Card forces an opponent to switch. However, I have no other Pokémon to switch to, so it does nothing.

I also get a chance to learn the move Mimic, but decide not to. I'm quite fond of the current set, even though Mimic is fitting.

And now onto my next place: Iki Town. And why am I going there?

To battle the Kahuna Hala, and earn the right to move on from the island!

The professor gives me some advice, saying that Hala uses Fighting Types. A good way to beat him back is with Flying or Psychic types.

Except he doesn't mention Ghosts. Ghosts are completely immune to Fighting, and many can learn moves that are strong against it.

So Hala is completely helpless against me. He tries to use Pursuit, but one attack is dodged, and another attack did not do much damage. He can't even use his own Z-move, because it will not hit a ghost.

So the battle is won, and I get a stamp allowing me to control Pokémon up to level 35. Useful, considering I'm already about level 20…

Also, the professor gives me False Swipe. Unfortunately, False Swipe is rather useless in this run, since it's mainly for catching Pokémon and the few Pokémon that I can catch won't be used.

Also, Tauros runs up. I can use it at my leisure now. Tauros is the replacement for both Rock Smash and the Bike of the previous games. However, it's difficult to control, so I just stick to the Running Shoes. There's a few more things to explore, but other than that I'm done with the island.

Speaking of updates, there is the update to Fire Emblem: Heroes! With this update, a new event will start, and that event will give players Orbs. There's also a new feature that helps with finding certain skills for Skill Inheritance. It's very useful, seeing that I'm using it now…

Speaking of Skill Inheritance, it makes the game much easier. I use it to almost clear of the arena, and advance an entire tier. Hopefully, there will be no issues.

Finally, last thing's use of the new support feature. The support feature allows certain units to get bonuses from each other, and also from the player. If they fight high-level enemies, those bonuses increase. I quickly give supports to all the units I'm using. With a game like this, I will need all the bonuses I can get…


	65. September 7, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 7, 2017)**

Time for another Semilocke! Of course, it's Valkyrie Profile! Hopefully I can get close to finishing, if I don't immediately finish it up…

But it seems things are not that easy.

There are some monster missions, and although they are not difficult, they are longer. This is because of where they are.

One is in the place where Rosea was first found. That place has many bridges surrounded by water. It makes it difficult for units to attack more than one on one. However, I still manage to beat the mission.

The next place is the ever annoying Wintergard. Other than Kinbolds with petrification, there's not much here.

And the call for a truce ends in failure. Should have known it wasn't going to work…

I guess now I go to battle…

And the first area is the Sylvanglade.

It's exactly the same as it was in the last two routes, complete with all the monsters. Perhaps I will finish it later.

For now, Fire Emblem Heroes awaits.

And of course, the training.

With all the experience gains, it should be over quickly. Indeed, my units grow fast, and the second team is almost completely leveled up by the time my stamina meter needs a recharge.

But there are still some issues.

Rienhart is a little slow, and often times has trouble attacking others twice. He does have something that allows him to attack twice if he initiates the attack, but he doesn't get it until after he promotes again. Furthermore, having him attack things he is weak to or putting him in the way of those things is not a good idea… Pegasus Knights, green units, and horse effective units will still slow him down…

And promoting someone that's 4* rarity takes a lot of resources. I technically have enough to do it now, but if I did, I'd have nothing to spend on anyone else… I have a couple other people could use promotions, so I don't want to be wasting any resources…

The others have their weaknesses too. Gray's good against horses and has decent attack power, but his defense and movement are not the best. Legion has the same problems as usual, but now has a new skill to compound them: Fury.

Fury makes Legion much stronger, but subtracts an amount of HP every turn. This subtraction happens even if Legion can't attack back. Therefore, he's constantly injured, and is only strategy right now is to use his superior strength to defeat foes before they can defeat him. It's solid, but risky, and it takes several Light's Blessings to get him up to speed.

And last in the group is Klein. Klein was over leveled from his time in the Nuzlocke group, so he was held back. But now that the others are stronger, he can fight with them. Klein is an archer, which means he can attack from a distance but not from up close. He starts out with the Brave Bow, a weapon that allows him to strike up to four times without counterattacks. He can strike faster foes only twice, but will perform both hits before being counterattacked. However, it also lowers his speed. This leaves him vulnerable to being doubled by enemies who get close, or by those who survive his strikes. With all this attack power, he's a good companion on any team.

But now the team is almost maxed out in levels. Which means that almost ready to inherit some skills. Most of them have only one or two skills left to learn, with Grey and Klein having learned them all.

I can already think of some skills to use. Rienhart would benefit from something other than Blazing Thunder. This is because in order to use it, foes must be in a straight line, something which is unlikely to happen. Furthermore, foes are able to activate skills that are normally seen at lower HP once Reinhardt casts his spell.

That makes things rather dangerous.

Speaking of dangerous, I have thought of a way to use Legion's Fury to its full advantage. He can use to Defiant Attack to raise his attacking power when his HP inevitably falls. A healing skill, such as Sol, would also be helpful, as it can heal the damage caused by Fury. It would be a better fit than Retribution, because Retribution relies on taking damage, and Fury doesn't allow that.

I'm sure there's other combinations that I haven't thought of, but I will save them for next time.


	66. September 8, 2017

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**Journeys of the Wheeling Gamer (September 8, 2017)**

Welcome back to Fire Emblem Heroes! Today's the day of the Mini Tempest Trial! I will be doing it a little differently than I was before. For starters, because of Skill Inheritance, I am participating one level higher than was originally (so on the difficulty before Lunatic mode, where the enemies are in their 30s and 4*). I'm also going to participate as much as I can, instead of simply going for the first two, and also giving up near the end. This is because of the event's short length, and also because of the fact that many of the prizes are very good, and ones I missed last time.

The second team that I've been leveling will still be used as a backup. However, I am hoping that I do not have to use them, because they are not their strongest yet.

I did my first two runs of the day is a test run and won both with maximum points. However, the enemies are tougher and often would kill have my team and leave the others injured. To put this in perspective, the enemies from the level before would be lucky if they could kill one unit.

I may as well record the rest of my adventures here. Right now, I am at a massive advantage because one of the units I'm using is a bonus unit (Eliwood), and that means I will get a massive boost in points regardless of what my final score is.

But other than that, there are no innate advantages.

Which is proven when I lose everyone but Cherche on the last battle.

Odin goes for Eirika, but gets ganged up on by everyone else. Gaius stupidly dies when I throw him against Hector. Eliwood tries to go against Hector, and survives, but is quickly killed by the blue units behind him. Finally, Cherche is the only one remaining, having taken damage from a blue tome user. Luckily, she is able to survive the blue tome user's attack, and defeat the blue lance user, earning a victory.

And I get Masked Marth. Masked Marth is interesting, because she doesn't have any skills. However, she does have solid stats, and with my newfound ability for Skill Inheritance, I might just be able to put her to could use. She is a red sword user.

And now that I've gotten her, time to go onward in the trial. There are many more prizes to be found.

But first, a break using the other modes. I'm now strong enough to do Bond Hero Battles, but only the lowest level. I get a bit worried when Odin goes straight into a bunch of enemies, but other than that, things go without a hitch.

I have a lot of orbs, so my next area is to do a summoning. I manage to summon a second copy of Ninian. She has useful skills for inheritance, and can be used to power up my current one. A second copy of Tiki is also summoned, and she can be used for those same things.

And after that, a short break from playing. There's something I need to do today, and my stamina meter needs to recharge…

And after my break, I come back. However, I do not think I will do any more battles in the Tempest Trials today. The reason is that I have to go a long way before I can get everything I need, and without the point bonus, there's not many I can get (441 max). I need 20,000 or more to get everything I missed the first time.

However, I may still try the other teams. Seeing as more points are awarded the harder the maps, it wouldn't be a bad idea… But that will be for later.


	67. September 9, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 9, 2017)**

So today's a good day for Fire Emblem Heroes! And what better thing to do than to train the second team. Luckily, with the events going on, I am able to get them all to level 40. Unfortunately, while they are at max level, none of them are the max rarity (5*). And they have almost no Skill Points to use inherited skills. So they still have some growing to do, but it will take a lot of resources. Resources that I currently don't have. So that's all for now.

Off to the Valkyrie Profile Covenant of the Plume Semilocke.

And after another monster battle. Luckily, it's in a place that is exactly the same as the other two paths. And like them, it is easy.

What's not easy as the battle after that.

The next battle is against Kristoff, and Roienbourg is on my side. This battle is difficult for a number of reasons, one of which is the high Sin count. Another which is because it's in snow, and I know from Wintergard that snow is annoying. Finally, there's the problem of Kristoff himself. Originally, I had Fury of the Aesir to nullify his attacks. Here I still have it, but it won't last long, and most likely will not have enough energy to use it. So I will have to go head-on.

Unfortunately, there are still problems.

Roienbourg kills someone, ruining my chance of getting Sin from them. I try to get Sin from other people, but is ruined by one person dodging attacks while defeated. Kristoff, as predicted, also proves difficult and injures others with his Soul Crush. Wylfred is killed twice from it, and Natalia is unexpectedly attacked from behind. This is because I was trying to get her to revive Wylfred so I could have maximum Sin for the battle.

Eventually, though, Kristoff falls.

And he is taken prisoner.

I can't help but wonder if he's in the right though. Kristoff says he fights to stop his brother's tyranny, but Roienbourg doesn't think so. However, considering how Langrey acts during the rest of the game, Kristoff probably isn't wrong. Not to mention that being the first born son, Kristoff has a claim to the throne no matter what anyone says. The people are unlikely to follow someone who's distant from it (Joshua, not to mention this is proven in the other two paths), and Langrey doesn't have the claim to it being born out of wedlock. Kristoff's claim to the throne and fighting against tyranny makes even more sense considering what happens to the two princes in the end…

It's also funny considering people are going on about Kristoff being manipulated by his advisers, but in reality, Joshua is being manipulated by Roienbourg as well. It's implied Joshua doesn't show much interest in the throne until Roienbourg declared he would fight for it…

And even after all this, I have to wonder what would've happened if Kristoff wasn't manipulated so easily by his advisers, and instead grew a spine... Perhaps what happens in the game would have a happier ending…

But enough of that. Off to the Tempest Trials.

Where I use my second team for the first time.

I send Eliwood after a bunch of enemies, although he would normally be okay with them. However, Hinoka was waiting in the trees.

I thought he would survive, but she had a Brave Lance that took him out instantly. I wound up with three units against Hector's five in the final battle. Odin and Cherche squared off against the enemies while Gaius remained behind. When ended up happening was Odin went forward to take out a red unit, but was quickly defeated by Hector. Fae moved forth, eventually being defeated by Cherche. Cherche also defeats a blue unit guarding Hector. Through all this, she was injured.

Cherche manages to attack Hector, but is defeated. After that, Gaius is quick to fall. I sent in the second team, and Grey quickly defeats Hector. After that, the battle ends.

And now it is time for something I've been wanting to do.

Skill Inheritance for other teams.

First up is Legion. My plan is to have him inherent Defiant Attack from Odin, and inherent Noontime from a promoted Laslow.

However, I quickly have problems.

I cannot use Odin due to Defiant Attack taking up the same spot as Fury. I decide to use the promoted Laslow's Spur Speed instead. Legion also inherits Smite from Barte, even though it isn't the most useful skill.

That's all for him.

On to Reinhart.

He gets Luna from Catria, and Death Blow from Hawkeye. As a final skill he could inherent, there are a couple options.

But I will save that for next time.


	68. September 10, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 10, 2017)**

Time for a bit of Fire Emblem: Heroes! Just a small update with one of the teams. Originally, the team had Chorm on it, but he got replaced with Eldigan. This is for two reasons. One of which was that team lacked a horse, and had no options for long-range movement. The other is that Chrom doesn't get his best skills until he promotes, and since he's already a 4* unit, it will take a while for him to do so. Eldigan is 5*, and since the rest of the units on the team are also 5*, it means I can optimize the team without using any of my promotion items. That's all for now, though.

Because it's time for the Valkyrie Profile Semilocke! Maybe I can finish the game…

Chapter 5 doesn't pose much of a problem, mainly because it's same as before. The biggest issue is the sorcerers, with Sap Power. There's also a few troublesome monsters that apply status effects like freeze. Thankfully, Langry is a lot easier this time around due to not using Great Magic and able to get troops out before he attacks. As I clear the final levels, I don't get Gram this time. I suspect it's because I can only get in the mission where I did not get double Sin. It doesn't matter much, because I can't use it against the final boss of the A Path anyway.

Speaking of the A path, the stupidity continues.

Langrey stabs Roienbourg with a dagger, and the margrave collapses. I guess what I said about Langrey being bloodthirsty was right… He gets taken back to his castle, only for the party to find out that he has been suffering from a long illness, and is slowly dying from it. He knew that whether or not he fell in battle, the war would be his last.

And that's only the tip of the idiocy. The problem is that not many people are going to support Joshua, because he is a distant relation to the throne (and so many people threw their weight behind the other two heirs). Not to mention he doesn't appear to have any foreign support, with the margrave being his only one. So not only will the people not trust him when he takes the throne, but he no longer has any power to back that up. No wonder Artolia eventually falls…

Yet, the margrave continues to go on about how if only he were to have raised the princes, the conflict may have never happened…

Except that it would've.

Even if Kristoff was immediately named the heir, others would fight against him. If anything, it would make the conflict worse as his brother and loved ones would've been forced to take up arms… It's similar to what actually happens to Kristoff on the B path. It would get even worse for the margrave, as he would be forced to choose one of the brothers. Or, he could just choose to do what he did and go against both of them, but that led to the entire conflict in the first place…

So really, the whole spiel is worthless…

It's about to get even crazier though… The assistant to the margrave enters, saying that Langrey has jumped to his death. The margrave is devastated by the news, and dies of his illness and wounds shortly after.

With Joshua without support, and everyone else dead, Kristoff is the only person left.

Meaning he's still the rightful heir simply by process of elimination.

Which further supports the idea that he's the rightful heir no matter what anyone says. Kristoff survives the war in the A path, and so he should inherit the throne, not Joshua. This is regardless of the state he's in at the end of the path.

The fact that he has this evidence while Joshua has none makes the entire conflict pointless. In the end, the crown prince is the rightful heir, and survives to (probably) take the throne.

So Roienbourg died for nothing, because Kristoff won the war anyway.

It's just one of the many things wrong with the A path…

Kristoff being king would make sense with the first game as well (since this game takes place before it). The king is described as a coward, which many believe Kristoff to be. It's certainly something he would do when realizing aggression got him nowhere… And the mercenary Arngrim states the king feels himself to be strong through others' misfortune. If one thinks about it, that's exactly how Kristoff became strong during the war… And it's implied that the king decided to make Artolia a better place after his daughter died… It's definitely something Kristoff would do…

But I'm getting ahead of myself as I travel on the last mission to the end of the mess that is the A path.

And it turns out it has one last surprise for me.

A final enemy appears.

It's Aylith, angry at Wylfred for giving up his path of revenge. Apparently, she set up the entire game in hopes that he would continue on the path…

And then transforms into a monster, Gram.

And it turns out we have to defeat her.

Except I've a few problems with this.

One is the predictability of the situation. Players can easily pick up on the fact that Aliyth is Gram. Hel talks about her pet, who presumably wants Wylfred's soul. Aliyth then appears shortly after that. There's also the fact that Hel doesn't appear to have any other servants, so Aliyth is the obvious choice. The game also all but spells it out for the player should they get the bad ending (the one where the game ends prematurely). And that ending is not all that difficult to get…

The other is the lack of foreshadowing. Aliyth says she did all these things, but the player never sees her doing any of it… Furthermore, there's not even the tiniest hint that Aliyth is in the background doing these things, or that there's any hint of divine intervention. Also, the game doesn't tell the player how she accomplished all these things. It's particularly odd, because she has to be traveling with Wylfred in order to evaluate him at the end of his battles…

Story problems or not, we still have to fight her.

But it won't be easy.

Garm is surrounded by things called Pale Flames. Pale Flames have high range and stats. They also are completely immune to one element, and fly. They are sorcerers, but they work differently than most of the ones seen in the game. Instead of casting only one attack, they can cast three. This is something that regular sorcerers can't do, and the ones in the party will never have access to it. Not to mention they like to use their high range to gang up on people, and when an attack hits, the unlucky victim is toast… And they also have Great Magic, which they're not unwilling to use.

So really, this almost turns the final mission into something luck based. The idea is that I have to hit them before they hit me.

But it sounds much easier than it is…

I enter the fray with Ratatoskr's Scandal. It can do some massive damage to the flames, and is one of the few tactics that is useful in this battle. Of course it also does massive damage to my team, but that's healed as usual.

And so I charge up, ready to defeat the first flame.

And that's where the problems arise.

The flames are fast, and they dodge attacks. There is also the fact that one of the flames is resistant to ice, and that's all Lockswell can do… Unfortunately, he's my most powerful character…

So with this, the flames quickly survive the hits, and wastes no time picking my characters off one by one…

It isn't long before I lose.

But I am ready to fight again.

I make a small alteration to my strategy, however.

Natalia and Earnest originally did not have Reduce Magic, due to not being able to use it with some other skills.

However, Reduce Magic is useful because it halves any magic damage received.

So I equip it on them immediately.

It's also worth noting that unlike the other two paths, the first part of this path does not count against the Nuzlocke rules.

The reason for this is that no matter what I do, someone will die in this battle. It's almost entirely luck based, and I know my luck will eventually run out. The second part, however, is not luck based, and will count against me.

So I start again, and this time, the first flame doesn't dodge. I'm able to easily take it out, using the same strategy as before.

After that, its brethren soon follow.

That just leaves the boss, Garm.

Garm is a powerful enemy, with its (her?) attacks able to do a lot of damage. Garm can't move, but has massive range. It can also fly, making it difficult to hit. It is very large in size, meaning that no character will be able to throw it up in the air. Garm has a Soul Crush that is dark elemental, and is also resistant to darkness. This is why I didn't want to equip the sword I mentioned before, because it has darkness as an element. Garm mostly fights with physical moves, although it also has a variety of magical spells at its disposal. The spells are both defensive and offensive.

So what makes this battle easier?

The fact that Garm cannot move.

Garm being unable to move means that easy to see its range, and since the range can easily be seen, it's simple to park a character just out of its range and have that character take care of healing while three others attack.

Which is exactly what I do.

It takes some doing, but eventually I do enough damage to Garm to move onto the next phase.

And that's when meet a familiar face.

Ancel.

That's right, the Valkyrie has permitted Ancel to join Wylfred on the battlefield, for one final time. Ancel himself is stronger than most of the units and has powerful equipment, but for the purposes of this run I won't be using him.

Instead, I go with the same team.

And decide to use the same strategy. Natalia is left outside of range, and the other three charge forward.

And as before I also invoke a Plume skill, Fury of the Aesir. Fury of the Aesir makes all opponents' physical attacks useless for three turns.

And Garm's strongest attacks are physical. It also uses magical attacks, but it is much weaker. There is a bit of a problem, since one of its attacks inflicts paralysis. Somehow I forgot to bring paralysis immunity…

But it's not too much of an issue and the boss is defeated.

The best ending plays as Wylfred apologizes to Ancel, goes home, tells Tilte what happened, and brings his mother to her senses.

And I am left to reflect on the game itself.

Sadly, it's not my favorite of the Valkyrie Profile games, but it's charming nonetheless.

The story does a good job of showing what happens to mortals when the gods go about the business on Asgard, giving a perspective that, up until this point, there were only glimpses at.

Furthermore, it's not a bad strategy game, similar to Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics. And good at what it does, presenting some depth to the missions, gameplay wise, while the same time giving a fresh take on the Valkyrie Profile formula. And perhaps, even a fresh take on strategy games themselves.

However, there are many things the game doesn't do well.

One of which is the story. The story overall could benefit from being one giant path instead of split into three paths. It would help with some of the redundancy, and help bring the past together. And some parts of the story are just a mess, such as the A path, Natalia never finding her children even when she survives, Thydor and Ushio not appearing when they should, the entire problem with Fauxnel, and even the problem with the inheritance dispute. There's also the issue of some parts being rushed, such as Wylfred's character development, or Natalia's failed rebellion. It feels as though there was more that could have been put into that, but there wasn't enough space or something… It's also worth noting that the English version lacks the full voice acting that the Japanese version got… It's unknown why this is, but some suspect the English version may not have been as well-funded. For those who can get their hands on the Japanese version, the voice acting is actually very good. It's worth a listen, at least…

The game also suffers from gameplay issues as well. For one, the game is rather short. If all three paths and the bad ending's played, the game ends up at around 30 to 40 hours. That's not much shorter than the others in the series, but the redundancy of the paths may make it difficult to play all of them. If one chooses to go with only one path, the game only lasts around 8 to 10 hours.

There's also the matter of the Destiny Plume. The Destiny Plume is an interesting mechanic, both gameplay and story wise. However, just the way the game handles going to the different paths, it is not used as much as it could've been. It's a shame, because it makes Valkyrie Profile different from some other strategy games, but that difference is hardly ever seen…

Finally, there's a bit of a problem with how the game handles repeat playthroughs. This is the only game in the series so far to allow the player to carry over things such as weapons and skills. However, the game does nothing to compensate for it. Enemies remain very easy, only slightly becoming stronger near the end. Having the difficulty gradually increase, having multiple difficulties, or simply not letting things carry over could've solved the problem. Unfortunately, none of these solutions were implemented.

Despite all its flaws, the game is still fun to play, and was worth playing for the Semilocke series. This won't be the last seen of Valkyrie Profile, as I continue toward the second and final game.

But until then, I bid Valkyrie Profile a fond farewell, and hope to have more excellent adventures.

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**Author's notes:**

**-So of your changes were made from the time the story was written. Despite being played many times in regular and less challenging runs, Valkyrie Profile 2 was not added to the Semilocke series. While there was an attempt at it there, the different gameplay from the other entries made it difficult to do so, and I eventually gave up early on. However, I still had story information for those that I had planned to have participating in the Semilocke series. It's not know what I will do with that information at this time.**

**-The second change is that, as mentioned before, Valkyrie Profile 2 is not the final game to be played in the series. With the game for mobile devices finally localized worldwide, before the game and the series is finally available for audiences outside of Japan. At this point, I am unsure if I will pick it up, or how far I will go if I do decide to get the game. At this time, due to the recent release and the Valkyrie Profile series not being that popular, there is currently a lack of information on it. So it's not known if the fourth game will appear in any future works.**


	69. September 11, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 11, 2017)**

Off to another entry! Since I just completed a Semilocke, I will taking a bit of a break. I have to do something in the afternoon, so I will probably play Fire Emblem: Heroes then.

But for now there's another matter. The Mimikyu solo run. I still have some things to do around the first island before I finally leave it…

Such as picking up trash from Pokémon… At least it goes easily this time… Usually I get lost at least once…

And of course we have a rematch waiting. A rematch against Illima.

It goes much easier than the last time, mainly because I am able to use Work Up twice to boost my attack stats. Surprisingly, Illmia uses his Z-power, but uses it on Leer. All it does is lower my defense, while boosting his attack. And he can't really make much use of it…

Oh, and I have to style my hair. I can have a look that looks just like how I do in real life. Unfortunately, I can't remember the specific options that I need to pick,.. So I spend a little bit more money than I want to, but eventually I get my hair where it needs to be…

So after bit of item hunting, I'm ready to hit the next island.

From what I remember, I will not have the advantages on this island that I did the last one… But figuring out new strategies is all just part of the fun…

And there's a clothing shop here too... Too bad it just has dorky polkadots…

What I'm more interested is two familiar faces.

Sina and Dexio.

Sina and Dexio are researchers from the X and Y games. They also play an important part in a side quest here.

I won't be doing the quest in this run, but right now one of them wants a battle.

It's a pretty easy battle against a Delibird and a Glaceon. Glaceon gets put in early and attacks twice. However, Alice avoids attacks using her high Affection. This allows me to use Work Up again. The third attack hits, but it doesn't do much damage. Besides, it's an Icy Wind, and lowering speed is useless because Shadow Sneak always starts first.

Poor Delibird doesn't even get a chance to attack…

Now I'm off to my next area, Route 4. It doesn't give me much trouble, and it quickly arrive to the entrance of the next town.

But that will be a little later. Right now I have a place to go.

However, that does not stop me from continuing the entry.

Because Fire Emblem Heroes awaits.

There's a couple quests I haven't done yet, so I may as well clear those. They fall easily as I begin to concentrate on the real reason why I'm here.

Skill Inheritance for the second team. Now that their levels are maxed, it's time to work on their skills. Reinhardt inherits Reposition, Spur Attack, Threaten Attack, Threaten Speed, and Armored Blow. Only the first two are used, though. Gray inherits Brash Assault and Pavise. Finally, Klein inherits Reposition and Spur Attack. There is enough skill points for everyone to learn at least some of the skills, although I will have to continue to fight to learn them all.

So I concentrate on my third team. They are not that high leveled, but they have an advantage. Everyone on this team has maximum rarity, so their stats are much stronger than units would normally be at that level. So far, they don't have much trouble, but I don't know how long that will hold up.

I will continue documenting their progress next time.


	70. September 12, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 12, 2017)**

Seems like a good day for a Semilocke! But first, a bit of Fire Emblem: Heroes. Seems like there's a method going on that allows me to get extra Feathers and enough orbs for a summon.

I managed to summon to noteworthy things. One of them is Chrom, an excellent unit that I only had one of before. The other one is Marth, one of my favorite characters in the series and the one that got me started on it.

The Feathers allow me to promote someone to maximum rarity. Immediately, I choose Reinhart. With all his power, I will need him to be as strong as possible. This also unlocks a very good weapon for him, Dire Thunder.

But I shall get to training him a little while later.

For now, the Flight Rising Semilocke awaits.

It's just a training day, so not much happens. But eventually I should be able to make enough money to move on as well. Slowly, I'm headed towards the end… Noteworthy things were a connection error right after a healing, and the glance around the auction house. I was hoping that I could use the auction house to get some higher-level dragons and make training easier.

Unfortunately, I currently lack the funds to do that. However, it would still be useful in order to get dragons that I leveled enough to obtain some of the achievements. Perhaps I will start working on the achievements soon in order to get money for the Nuzlocke…

But that's neither here nor there.

Instead, a long missing Semilocke makes its reappearance.

And that Semilocke is Pokémon Gold.

Along the way, I watch the adventures of the game Undertale. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, but it has given me some more story ideas. Perhaps I will do character studies, like I did with Binding of Isaac. Characters I can think of doing are Toriel, Flowery, and Sans.

But that's another topic.

Anyway, when I last left off with the Semilocke, the team was doing some side quests after obtaining the sixth badge. Might as well finish them…

Also worth noting that I won't be able to complete one of the side quests until later this week. Should still be easy to do though…

Well, it's sort of easy.

The quest simply involves going back to the Slowpoke Well and through the Union Cave. If I'm playing on a Friday, I can capture a rare Pokémon. But for now, the cave is empty.

Well, except for some Trainers and items.

The Trainers themselves are step up from what I've seen so far, and their levels are pretty high.

My Dratini in particular, has issues. A Trainer carries Eevee and its evolutions, but they are difficult to fight. There is a Jolteon and Flareon that use Tail Whip and Sand Attack.

And that makes it difficult.

Tail Whip allows neutral attacks to do more damage, and Sand Attack makes it so my own attacks miss. With this, Dratini has to heal often, and I almost run out of healing items.

At least I have a few left. Stocking up in Goldenrod will not be easy. It is rather far away, and Fly currently isn't that convenient for the team…

But I press on, running into more problems. Many Trainers are Hikers, and their Pokémon know Self-Destruct. Unfortunately, they will not hesitate to use it on me… Self-Destruct is particularly dangerous because it not only does a lot of damage to anything that is not Ghost, but it also halves defense when damage is calculated.

Nowhere does the game tell the player this.

Regardless, the situation leaves several of my Pokémon injured, and I have to use more precious healing items.

Compounding that is another Trainer that has a Poliwhirl. Poliwhirl knows Hypnosis, which I have no resistance to. Furthermore, it knows several attacks, and does not hesitate to use them. My Gyarados is injured and barely wins the fight. There's also an incident with Machop and Seismic Toss, where Scyther nearly dies.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. My Gyarados learns Dragon Rage. Dragon Rage is very good at this point, because it can take almost anything in two hits. Unlike Self-destruct, nothing can resist it. It gets less useful later on, when enemies have more HP.

But for now, it's a much needed improvement. The cave leads out to the Ruins of Alph, where more catches await. I quickly catch a Natu, which I may or may not use. It's not all that great in this game, so I will have to see…

Anyway, I had out of there and into the next town. The next town is to the east of where I was for the fourth Badge. I have to pass through a route to get there, but doesn't give me much trouble. I do catch a Goldeen and a Machop, though. Neither is particularly good, but I will take what I can get.

At last I make it to Mahogany Town, home of the seventh Badge. Unfortunately, I can't do much there right now, so instead I head north.

There is a few Trainers to battle and new Pokémon to catch, but for right now I will take a break.

Perhaps next time I will make it to the Lake of Rage.


	71. September 13, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 13, 2017)**

Perfect day for another blog entry! This time, Fire Emblem Heroes. After promoting Reinhart, I was easily able to get him up to maximum level and give him Dire Thunder. It does make him powerful when he attacks, but he gets slaughtered on almost every counterattack… I wound up using a lot of Orbs for Light's Blessing, since I had to have him fighting alone… Perhaps I will wait a bit before I train again… After all, I want to get to 20,000 points in the Tempest Trials, and so far I'm nearing 15,000… Looks like I will have to play few extra rounds to get there…

But that's another topic. Today's an exciting day, because I will be getting another game from the E-shop. I originally couldn't get this game, because of the pressure exerted on my Internet. However, I found a way to use Internet outside the house, so I can get the game without having problems there. I should have it when I get back from the pool today.

Speaking of new games, the Pokémon fans appear to be up in arms. There is a lack of information on the new ones, but we might get some today. Honestly, I really don't mind. There's a lot of things I'm still doing, and it's a bit exciting not knowing what's going to happen going into a new game. It's a feeling I haven't had for a while, since the advent of online guides…

Speaking of Pokémon, time for the solo run!

And as I reach my favorite town in the game, it's time for a battle against Hau!

Pikachu goes down easily, same way as last time. His starter has gained Aqua Jet, which hurts a little. However, it still falls to Work Up and Shadow Sneak.

Anyway on to the ranch!

Alice takes some damage from a Carbink's Smack Down, but learns Faint Attack. A very good move at this point of the game, although I have a constant reminder I have to be careful of physical attacks… I get rid of Double Team immediately…

On the ranch, I have my first encounter with a problem Pokémon.

Mudbray.

Mudbray and its evolution not only have high attack and defense stats, but also have a move that increases defense every time they're hit by an attack. I could get around it by teaching Mimikyu a special attack, but it's stats for that area aren't that good…

Luckily, this one goes down without much trouble, but it will probably give me problems later…

Time to head up to the Nursery. I won't be using in this run, but it least there's healing here…

And I encounter another problem: Sableye.

Sableye is a Ghost Type, which means it can hit Mimikyu for super effective damage. Its Dark Type means that the usual attacks that would be dealing extra damage against it are not.

Luckily, this one only uses Night Shade, and is frail. Again, I know I will see it later…

And I run into a problem.

Double Battles can't be fought if one is doing a solo run… The Trainers require two Pokémon…

I decide I will grab Rowlet to use it as my partner, but it will only use non-attacking moves. In story, I could simply have Alice fighting on her own.

I'm expecting Rowlet to go down easily, but he doesn't. Therefore, I decide to make it go down by defeating him with Alice. That way, I can still abide by the rules of the solo run and fight all the battles in the game.

Time to meet Cloud, I mean, Gladion.

Honestly, this guy reminds me of Cloud from Final Fantasy… He looks a lot like him, and he's a bit of a darker character… Unlike Cloud, he's not doing anything against his will, although it would be interesting if he was…

But enough about that. This battle is my first encounter with a legendary, Type: Null. This Pokémon is normal Type, and when it evolves (yes, legendaries that can evolve are introduced in this game), it can become any other Type. The fact that it's a legendary Pokémon means that its stats are a bit higher, and its moveset is a little better. However, my level is so high that still goes down to a Z-move, Work Up, and Faint Attack.

But this won't be last I see of it…

This apparently won't be the last I see of double battles either…

There's another one coming up, and it's brutal…

Two against one Pokémon is still annoying, and I have to spend one turn I would be attacking or raising my stats to knock out my partner. I quickly grab a Lillipup for this… At least it goes down quick…

But my opponents are Rufflet and Vullaby. Both have higher attack stats, and powerful Flying type moves (Wing Attack and Pluck). I spend as much time healing as I do attacking…

But now I'm standing outside Brooklet Hill. Time to take on the water trial, but first the pool and some Fire Emblem: Heroes.

I continue to train my third team, stopping only to do the Seal quests. Unfortunately, they take longer than expected, and I am forced to use Light's Blessing many times… To say my Orbs are depleted would be an understatement…

But I can get more in the Arena. I get defeated in the very first fight, but I'm high enough in the tiers to still have a sizable reward.

Also, unfortunately, getting the game I wanted from outside of my house didn't work out too well. I may try again next month, when Fire Emblem Heroes will most likely have run its course… It's taking up most of my Internet now…

But for now, I will do what I can in the Tempest Trials, and hope that I will soon be able to train some more.


	72. September 14, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 14, 2017)**

Welcome to another entry! This time, for the Gold Semilocke! Today, I head up to the next town in order to explore the Lake of Rage. The routes there are not that tough, but there's still the main event.

The Red Gyarados.

The Red Gyarados is what I'm really after in this lake.

This vicious beast is a powerful Pokémon, stronger than anything else I have at this time.

But not only that, it's shiny Pokémon. That means that it's a different color, and has a certain jingle to it. This jingle is because the games could be played on an original Game Boy, and the colors were displayed in black and white. The jingle carried over to the other games in the series, and has remained ever since.

The fact that it's a shiny also means I can catch it, even though I already have one of that species. This is known as the Shiny Clause.

Except catching it proves to be harder than it looks.

The Gyarados knows powerful moves, and it won't hesitate to use them. One move is Leer, which lowers my defenses. The other is Thrash, which does a lot of Normal Type damage while making the user confused afterward.

It turned out to be a deadly combination.

I send in Flaaffy, who does damage with Thunder Wave. The Gyarados strikes back with Leer.

And before Flaaffy can damage it back, it uses Thrash.

Flaaffly is immediately killed. Well, not for long. I have enough revival chances. But I have to send in Umbreon.

I hope it has enough defense to take hits.

But I'm not entirely correct.

For the Gyarados knows another strong move.

Dragon Rage.

And it's just as deadly as it was when it was on my side.

Two hits, and Umbreon is nearly dead.

Thankfully, I manage to capture Gyarados then.

And head to the second area.

The Rocket Hideout in Mahogany Town.

The Trainers there are easy (they are Rockets, after all). However, I forgot to get healing items. So I decide to head back to Goldenrod.

But I will continue things next time.

Because there is new Pokémon info abound.

The info about Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

For the first time, there will be new Pokémon in the middle of a generation. I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised.

One most like a birthday cake jellyfish and the other looks like a giant wall… I think I will name them Jenga and Confetti. It is rather fitting…

But also Ultra Sun and Moon is not the only thing to be excited about.

There's also some new Fire Emblem: Heroes content coming up. Apparently, there will be a new set of chapters centering around Bruno. I'm so excited! I've wanted the story to continue for a long time after the cliffhanger last chapter. And I like the fact that Elincia is finally making her appearance! Even though she might not be the strongest fighter around, she's still one of my favorite characters.

And with Fire Emblem: Heroes, I suppose I should discuss the Tempest Trials, now that they've reached their end. I have to say I really enjoyed this event, especially since I had teams that were able to compete. I also think that what the event did was a good idea. It allows people who didn't have teams the first time to try the event again, especially since the Tempest Trials had so many problems in its early incarnations. And now it's actually possible for me to get some of the rewards, and so I can catch up to others who had them from the start. I got the character exclusive to the trials, as well as an early skill exclusive to it (Quickened Pulse). Luckily, said skill happens to be one of the best in the game.

I will most certainly try this again, now that the teams are stronger.

But that's for another time. I have a bit more of the Gold Semilocke to finish up.

And it begins with the problem of Self-Destruct. The Mahogany Hideout is filled with traps that force me into encounters with Pokémon. And each of them know the deadly Self-Destruct.

They do not hesitate to use on me.

Luckily, I managed to survive and catch a Voltorb.

And then the tide turns.

Once I reached the deeper parts of the hideout, my difficulties dissipate. Now that Dragon Rage is on my side, I can tear through opponents.

Even the admins are easy prey, and many revival chances are mine. The Ice Type gym is also easy. I have many things that can destroy the Trainers' Pokemon, including Flaaffy's Thundershock and Alakazam's elemental punches. When I get to the leader, Alakazam's Thunderpunch destroy two of his Pokémon. Gyarados's Surf washes away a third.

I win my seventh Badge, and that opens up new sidequests. One involves traveling to the dark Whirl Islands, eventually grabbing my own rare Water Type Pokémon (Seel). But there's another side quest. One that is very important and holds one of the best Pokémon in the game.

I travel back to the Union Cave, where the Pokémon, Lapras awaits me. I have to make sure the beast is female. One of the two required characters for the run needs it to be.

It doesn't take much, with a Thunder Wave from Flaaffy and two Dragon Rages from Gyarados securing its capture.

But that is all for now.

The next time I play, I shall face down Team Rocket for the last time.


	73. September 15, 2017

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 15, 2017)**

Today is an exciting day for Fire Emblem: Heroes! There's finally a whole new chapter, rather than just a side mission! This means new story, new challenges, and most importantly, new ways to get Orbs. Hopefully I can get the other teams training again…

Also in terms of new things, Flight Rising has had an update. Those who use alchemy can get to level 23 and create two new familiars. Those who trade can also find new familiars. Since familiars are a good way of making money, I will definitely be going for these as soon as I can. But it will take a while, seeing as the Nuzlocke is still going on… I haven't played in a while, so luckily I will get a chance to play later.

But off to the main attraction, Fire Emblem: Heroes. Also, there is currently double SP bonus there. I might take the time to get some skills for some of the teams.

But first, the new chapters.

So this chapter finally confirms that Bruno is Zacharias. It's what everyone saw coming, honestly… And he reveals why he ran away… He was originally from the enemy country, but was cast out... His family was killed, so he sided with the trio. However, a curse runs through the royal family, and Bruno knew if he stayed said curse would kill his newfound friends… So he left, looking for way to get rid of it, but he hasn't found any success…

It's kind of sad, knowing that, because the reason he asked his friends to kill him so he wouldn't cause them any suffering… And since his friends are still attached to him, they went along and kept him alive, leading to the current conflict…

He's kind of like Lyon in a way, where he was kind and gentle, trying to use the darkness for the best reasons he could. But in the end, it devoured him, and he has to ask his friends to kill him…

It's also worth noting that a big theme of Lyon's game is facing reality and dealing with loss… I wonder if that will come into play again with the Askr trio…

It also makes me wonder if the god that Loki is the servant of is also the god that possesses the royal family… There's even more connections there, because said god requires Lyon's tome.

On the subject of that, it makes me wonder what would happen if Veronica was good, knowing what was happening and trying to save her brother. And at the same time, wanting to make new friends… She could keep her secrets hidden from the trio, at least until something like this happens… It would make a lot more sense to have her there than Anna, because even though the latter is the mascot of the series, she is not an original character…

Also, on another topic, I wonder what things would've been like if Lyon would've accepted his father's death, and moved on. The Demon King probably would have still caused problems, but Lyon would have been one of the heroes. I feel like it's a fate he deserves… I also feel like Ephraim would've been looked down upon a bit more, because everyone else is acting more sensibly. I feel like the only reason people accepted what he did is because they were in the middle of a war and no one knew what to do…

But enough about that.

I have a battle to fight.

Luckily, the enemies are easy.

But Bruno runs away. Time to chase after him…

Also, I grab my reward from the Tempest Trials, and see the ending scene… It's both happy and sad at the same time, as their world is saved, but Hector realizes what's going to happen to him… And he makes the main character not tell anyone… It's especially sad if his own games have been played, and the player actually gets to see that happen…

Anyway, back to the chapters.

And the Black Knight appears, at the same port he appears in Path of Radiance. And he has his theme too… Pretty awesome!

I suspect I will be recruiting him in some way. But for now, we have to defend.

Luckily, it's still not that hard, even if the Black Knight gets some hits in. Onto the next chapter.

That one goes without a hitch, and I am are at the final one.

And Bruno really is like Lyon, with no one being able to resist and him being unable to kill himself…

The chapter is called A Bond Renewed, so I'm hoping it ends happily…

Well, it sort of does. Even if it is a bit predictable. Bruno resumes his search, and the Askr warriors vow to save him. Part of me wonders what would've happened if he'd just told the truth… Would they have reacted in the same way? And how would they felt knowing that they had a loyal friend, but that he could kill them at any time? It would be interesting to think about.

I also can't help noting that Bruno's name is still listed as three question marks. Is that because of the three identities he has, or is he actually someone else that is none of them? Maybe he has a connection to Loki's true form…

But for now, it's time for the Semilocke team to take over.

Except they don't have as easy of a time.

Nowi gets injured by enemies in the second chapter, and I think I may lose her.

But it's not her I lose.

It's Raven.

As I attack the enemies, I leave him wide-open to an attack from Elincia.

And the attack kills him.

The other enemies are easily dispatched.

But now I'm left to wonder what to do without a unit.

Raven wasn't the fastest, which is what allowed him to get destroyed. He also left my team vulnerable to red units, and they show up a lot in the coming chapters.

Which means the solution is a blue unit.

But which one? There are many…

I go over every single blue unit I have, before finally settling on female Corrin.

She may be a 3* unit, but she's plenty powerful. I have enough feathers to promote someone, so it's fine if I use some. She's also a Manakete, which is helpful for Nowi.

And so I begin training her.

I quickly find she's not without her issues, though.

One of which is that she has very mediocre attack. Another of which is that she has trouble hitting mages, due to their high resistance.

I'm forced to use several Light's Blessings on her, but eventually, she gets enough

experience to promote.

I decide to save more training for next time though. My stamina meter is low.


	74. September 15, 2017: Part 2

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are the property of their respective companies. Also, see the authors' notes for details.**

**Writing: Backstage Pass (September 15, 2017)**

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Time for another writing blog post! It's been a while, and I have lots of new ideas!

So let's begin with one of the most important ones, one that concerns the fate of these very blog posts. So the decision to port the blog posts has been made, which means that they will have their own separate story. Unlike the original idea to novelize them, the blog posts will be ported as they are, with minor edits. A story will be built around them, because they don't have much of a story by themselves. This is because I would like the blog posts to be known alongside my other writing, and like Holly Rising before it, is difficult to do that if they're only confined to one site. This may also be the story that replaces the diary format in Price of Rebirth, but I am unsure.

However, this also means changes to the story that was originally known as Journey. This story will be known is that instead, and that stories name will most likely be changed to Trial. This is because of the trial that the protagonist is enduring during the story (also the trial of playing the game), the trial that her other self is also enduring, the trial that she has to go on through the Semilockes, and the trial that she decides to make everyone else endure at the time the Semilockes start. It's also worth noting that that means journey itself will be changed significantly, with only one game being played.

It is unknown what the game is at this time, but it is highly likely that it will be Okami. It fits the most with what the protagonist is trying to do, with the idea of a god dying, the world dying with it, along with the idea to bring the god back with the prayers of people. Any other game that I can play from the start can also be used, such as the recent releases Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

A preliminary story has been drafted. There is a decision to use the Price of Rebirth protagonist, but only after she has the ability to see all the timelines and put them all together. She looks into the version of herself that is "normal". This version is the author of the blog posts, and the protagonist can see what she is writing. She's a lighter hearted gamer, in comparison to her much darker counterparts in Wanderer, the Semilockes, and the Price of Rebirth.

As for how I will handle the Semilockes, it may be a dream that the "normal" protagonist has. She may even see it being played, but currently, with how the story unfolds, it would take place in the past. Her request is to allow the other protagonist to see what she's writing if she takes the writing and puts it alongside the other worlds she's seen (meaning, the other stories that are available at that time). There may also be references to what has happened with the Semilockes, depending on how far along they are. Something may also happen where the Price of Rebirth protagonist can give the gift of foresight and creation in a sense, since the protagonist of Journey cannot initially see what's happening in the other timelines, nor can she write down what's being seen.

There's also the idea of them both seeing the timelines, and the protagonist of Journey is writing down what she's seeing. However, she has no idea what she's actually writing down. The characters and the writing portions may actually be the twin goddesses, because they control everything. They're not actually seen, however. Occasionally, one of the two may act surprised. This is because of the surprises and things happening in the other worlds, and being surprised at things happening her own world. However, she's not really bothered by this, other than asking if this is her own world. Eventually, the protagonist asks the other one if some of the writings are from her world, and she says yes. She then asked if that protagonist is surprised, and she replied she is not. This hints at her true identity as the one behind everything, because if she controls everything, then she would never be surprised at changes.

There will also be a difference between playing versus seeing in the blog. Whenever something goes on in another character's world, she is seeing. Whenever something goes on in her own world, she is playing. The games used for Trial are seeing. I may not use the Price of Rebirth protagonist at all, since her inclusion spoils some of the later parts and the outcome of the Semilockes. I may start this story after the next chapter of the Altar, because the Binding of Isaac is now completed.

And her fixing the timeline is seen the first bit of Okami and realizing what happens with the corruption and how that might affect the protagonist of Journey. She also realizes that in order to be useful, she has to accept what has happened to her and try to be useful as much as she can. This is difficult, in a world where everyone is expected to be supernatural, and she almost has nothing. She is most likely an alternate Kristine whose powers never came. It is unknown how long Journey will go on for. Perhaps until the blog itself ends. Or perhaps anything after Okami (or whatever game is used) will be considered a sequel.

Journey is also interesting, because it uses second person quite commonly when hardly any other work does. This is because the protagonist is writing as though there is an audience on the other side, almost like a diary. The protagonist of Price of Rebirth may even think of it as a diary. There is also the idea of her making comments over what happens and transcribing entries into something that's easier to read.

For example, the protagonist in Journey has no knack for possession. This is unlike the protagonist of Wanderer, who has that knack because however briefly, the goddesses have entered her. Something about the way the story is written will also be mentioned. The shorter length and brief descriptions are sometimes to get things moving fast, or putting descriptions down later. Possibly there is the idea of only being able to write in the world for a short amount of time, leading to the brevity and non-description. This story will most likely end before the Semilockes do, to avoid spoiling them all.

A decision has been made also use Holly in a story. For now, this decision is porting the RP directly, again with minor edits to the original text. Holly, and by extension, her traveling companion Anabel's, character is still being developed, however.

For example, Holly has problems interacting with some people due to reading emotions wrong. For example, she clashes with Misty's more immature parts of her personality, and possibly loses to her. There's also possibly negativity between her and Lieutenant Surge, as well as problems with her rival Ivy. Anabel gets frustrated with this, because she can also feel the emotions but does so correctly.

Holly's problem with gambling comes up as a major flaw. In Celadon, she slips away from Anabel's watchful eye in order to go gamble. When Anabel and Erika find out, both are very angry. Anabel particular punishes Holly physically (probably by slapping her a few times). Erika bars her from entering anything other from than the very outskirts of the city until she can get the money back that she gambled away. Anabel forces her to fight day in day out, so that she can get enough money to pay back what she spent. The fact that she has her memories here, along with her true identity, and cause her to be a lot more aggressive than she is in the games. When it comes to a lot of Holly's bad decisions, Anabel is known for showing tough love.

Speaking of Anabel, her history isn't quite created, but it is close. There's several hints as to who she really is. One is by saying that the name Holly is familiar to her, and also showing some discomfort over it. Another is her noticing a bunch of children, and seeming to be familiar with that. Another is when she tells Holly about her past (or least some of it) and Holly gets excited about the Tower. Instead of being excited with her, Anabel looks noticeably pained. A third hint comes after a large argument, and Holly winds up in a bad situation. Anabel rescues her, and tries to keep her calm. She ends up singing a few lullabies from Hoenn, and Holly vaguely seems to remember them. Anabel's also noted to have a good singing voice, something which is currently unique to this story. The final reveal comes when Anabel actually enters Celadon, and gets talk with Erika. Erika shares Anabel's suspicions, and the latter is able to obtain proof. She then tells Holly who she is after the events in Celadon.

Speaking of Celadon, this is where something happens to Torracat. That something gets him removed from the team, but not from the story itself. There is a bit of foreshadowing with Torracat before this, such as doing poorly in battles, and Holly wanting to give it to the box. She chooses not to, because it is her starter, and this has disastrous consequences. The idea of eventually removing Torracat comes from looking up Torracat's moves for the RP and realizing that it's not going to get much stronger.

There's also something that I have to keep in mind with this particular story. That's what to do with the RP is discontinued. There are couple things I can do. One is to do a sort of epilogue closing scene with the characters and then include Holly in a more traditional story. Another is to ask what the RP would've done and then build off of what could've been. A final one is to use some of the story that has been created for the RP, and create a new story based on that. There's enough of the story for it to stand on its own, and I can always add my own details. For example, if the story were remade, there would be a point of view from Erika finding Holly. There would also be a point of view from Anabel, although readers are not sure it's her. More things are in detail, such as Holly leaving for the mission, and Erika's concern. There are still other details, such as battles being darker (still not the point of The Altar), some of Holly's traits being explored more or taken out, Anabel appearing earlier (maybe at the time the first Badge, or even at the very start), something explaining why Pokémon not from Kanto are in the area, more scenes from different points of view (such as the poison aftermath scene being from Anabel's point of view, or both), more scenes about Erika at home (perhaps Anabel contacts her and someone knows who she is) and Holly's appearance being changed.

There's still some more for this story, though. For example, there is currently a problem with trying not to make Anabel overly aggressive. Also, making sure the aggressiveness has flaws. One of them is constantly arguing with Erika, is the two have opposite personalities. Another one is where she comforts Holly after she loses, but then shows her tough love and berates her for arrogance immediately after. With Anabel's training, she is able to win, but doesn't understand why Anabel acts the way she does. As a result, she rebels against her and generally ignores her. This continues probably up until Vermillion City, were Holly ends up in a bad situation and Anabel has to save her. Holly ends up crying and telling Anabel she's sorry, and Anabel simply comforts her saying "I know". This prompts Anabel to try and not be as harsh with Holly, and Holly tries to understand her better.

The aggressiveness still comes through, for example, with Holly's gambling problem. However, Anabel explains this is because she has seen the effects of gambling on people. She also tries to help Holly pick up something safer, and this is when Holly shows interest in sports.

The Price of Rebirth research has been restarted. This is quite meaningful, as Price of Rebirth is one of the largest fanfictions in development, and also one of the oldest (the only one older is the fan fiction that will be reborn as Bonds Retested, and it's only by few months). Price of Rebirth itself is about 14 years old, and has been developed and changed consistently throughout the years. It was on my profile when it was first created, but was taken down when I got back to it many years later. With it, my profile will be complete when it comes to its stories.

However, it still has a long way to go. The first is to check and see which games would be good for Price of Rebirth's setting. Price of Rebirth involves a lot of different games as people travel to each other's worlds, so it's important to know where they can go. After that, I'm going to gather up all the notes and chapters that were originally created, and figure out what to do with them.

After that comes the writing of the OC worlds and characters, because although Prince of Rebirth as a fan fiction, OC things play a huge part. Sites such as will also be used to help develop OCs and make them reach the best potential. The final step before rewriting is writing down who does what each arc or chapter, and getting it to the point where I don't need to do anything but minor changes.

So, Price of Rebirth still has a lot of things it needs to do, but at least it's getting off the ground. I do not know when it will be truly resurrected, but at least the process has started.

I also made some decisions made on a short piece about the indie game Claire. This is the piece that novelizes the endings, and there are five in total. Originally, there were only going to be three, but there's an ending I discovered the player can get if they intentionally miss all the people they can save in the game. There's also another ending that's clearly a joke ending, and was originally not going to be added. Now, these two endings will be added, but they will be before the three endings in the original piece. Perhaps the first two will be dreams, followed by the character stepping back into reality as the other endings are seen. It's also worth noting that there will be a change in the final ending, due to not being able to find a script for the true ending. Typically, there's a line about someone bringing flowers to the main character, but I couldn't find the line itself. So instead, there will be a mention about the titular character seeing flowers in the true ending.

There may also be a second piece about what brings the protagonist to the true ending, but is if that will be written. The reason is that there is relatively little known or confirmed about what leads up to the true ending, so it may be difficult to write.

A major change in Price of Rebirth is happening, involving one main plot elements. One of the main plot elements has everyone thinking the main protagonist is the daughter of one person, but she's revealed to be another's. Originally, no one suspected that she was another's, but now it's more obvious due to how she looks and acts. She herself is also suspicious, but has no proof either way. No one believes her family, because it's possible to falsify bloodlines in this universe.

However, proof comes later when she see as the heir to her birth father's land. Her adoptive father moves in with the family not just be her father, and there is no common law marriage in place like the original. Kratos only does this because the protagonist's mother can't raise four children on her own. He's also the only one close the family was not already married. It may also be his organization, Cruixs that takes them in instead.

A couple of scenarios are there for Kratos and his later marriage. One of which is Kratos simply states he won't take a wife while helping the protagonist's mother. This is mainly because it reminds her of what happened with her former husband. Kratos may not have any interest in marrying anyway at this point. There is also an issue, however, because many of the protagonists have to be around the Price of Rebirth's protagonist age in order to make the story make sense. One of the ways to do this is to have the Price of Rebirth protagonist age slower. This makes it so that other characters who start younger than her can be close to her age later on. A year for her could be several years' maturity for them.

Another scenario is that the protagonist's mother allows Kratos to marry, but only if she approves the marriage. This would allow the protagonist to be more accepting of Anna, when she originally was not before. This would also allow the children, especially the oldest, Lloyd, to be born earlier, and to be more consistent with canonical ages. They would also be closer to the protagonist's age, but she would still be the older one.

In the original drafts, the fight between the protagonist parents is very one-sided, and not a lot damage is shown. In this version, the fight is much less one-sided and more damage is shown. The protagonist's father spreads lies about her mother and her family deliberately, but the mother also does the opposite unintentionally through anger. The end result is that the countries taking sides, the popularity of the rulers is an all-time low, and the children are dragged into it. This sets the stage for much of the second arc, and much of the protagonist's development thereafter. However, this also changes her perspective when many of the freelancers in her country unite to bring suffering to it. The protagonist realizes that they've already suffered enough, since many have died, one of the people involved has also died, and the other may just as well be dead. Even when the other person does die, he will join the other in having no afterlife. It's different than the other timelines, where in many, she joins out of sheer anger, before realizing the consequences.

The confrontation between the protagonist and her birth father will be different as well. In the original, the protagonist attacked her birth father because she was provoked by what happened to her mother. This, however, can easily be mistaken as her overreacting, and attacking out of nowhere. In the new version, the provocations are much more direct, and therefore the attack is more justified. It is unknown if this attack will factor into the punishments that take place later on.

Anabel is now major character in Price of Rebirth, as opposed to a minor character in original drafts. She may or may not work with Mikoto, and keeps tabs on the protagonist using the police force. It would make sense, because Anabel is known for working with emotions, and many of the protagonist's problems are emotional.

Speaking of Anabel, there will be a sequel to Holly's story involving her and Erika. Holly goes missing, and the two set out to find her. There is an interesting dynamic between them because of their opposing personalities. Of course, arguments occur. However, they're united in their desire to find Holly, and the relationship both have with her in the first book. In this story, Anabel is forced to confront her past as she jumps through the worlds of the older and newer games. Erika sees this from the other side, being the Erika from the newer games. This also allows things from the first story to be seen from Anabel and Erika's point of view. This is something not seen in the first story unless it is remade.

It's also worth noting that both stories are deconstructions. The second story is deconstructing the idea of relying on children as Champions of everything. This is because despite all her power, Holly goes missing anyway. The reason being is that, no matter how strong the Pokémon Trainers are, the adults always be more experienced, make better decisions, and possibly be even stronger. It's also worth noting that the evil teams would most likely be prepared for a child, especially word has gotten around that a child has beaten them before. The final thing is if the child is turned against the adults, which is exactly what happens to Holly in the second story.

It also would noting that Anabel is much more regretful and fearful than she is in Holly Rising, which would sense considering the story and the fact that it is more things from her point of view. Eventually, she and Erika learn to use each other's talents advantageously, like a good cop bad cop routine.

Some final changes for Price of Rebirth. The protagonist there acts more supportive of order despite being aggressive. In original drafts, she had a rather casual disregard for laws as long as it benefited her. This difference is especially shown when she is compared to the other freelancers, who still have this type of disposition. It may also be attributed to her seeing Anabel, since she also sees what happens to lawbreakers and what could happen to her. She tries to put up a front for the latter personality at first, both as a defense mechanism and forming trustworthy to freelancers. Eventually, some people, such as Anabel, can see right through it.

There's also a speech Price of Rebirth's protagonist gives in the first timeline to Anabel about how she doesn't care about punishment because she hasn't much further to fall. This turns out to be the case in every timeline but the final, where she doesn't have the same bad things happen to her. She also chooses not to disobey most of the laws, and is better at understanding consequences. This is in part because what she's seen, and also in part because of the goddesses.

There can also be a scene where Anabel has to care for her for extended period of time in which case she realizes that there's something wrong with her and tries to get her help. It may make more sense than Mikoto, because the two have similar personalities. There's also the idea of Anabel teaching the protagonist how to use channel her aggression into something useful. She may also realize she can teach the protagonist how to properly use manipulation.

The idea is that the protagonist cannot manipulate, even for something beneficial, because she doesn't want to become focused on using the behavior for cruelty. Also, there's a chance that she's remembering what happens to friends and family that have used it. One of her character development is understanding that not everyone who manipulates is doing so for a bad cause, and able to use it strategically. This also runs off of the idea that she herself is not easily manipulated due to being able to sense others' emotions and what they're going to do. This is also because the fact that she's seen it a lot. Treating the characteristic like this makes her more a realistic person, and different from her previous incarnations, while the same time retaining that manipulative trait. In previous drafts, she was incredibly cruel and manipulative, and her justifications were there, but flimsy. The protagonist in the Altar actually resembles this. In her final incarnation, there's the idea of the protagonist moving on, even if she doesn't necessarily forgive.

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**Author's Notes:**

**-So a bit more on what I had originally planned to do with the blog posts. It's still not a straight port at this point, but it's closer to that. Furthermore, the blog posts were supposed to come together with other more traditional stories, featuring different timelines with the same protagonist. The fact that this was quite a hassle to work out led to the blog posts eventually becoming a standalone straight port. However, Price of Rebirth was to feature diary entries as the protagonist wrote in a diary at various times throughout the story. However, the few chapters that were posted were two early on in the story for that to be implemented, and the chapters that would've had the diary entries never got written. It's not known of diary entries will be seen in any future works outside of game logs.**

**-The name Wanderer refers to the series that The Altar was meant to be a part of. Originally, there was going four books, each taking place in the same universe as the Altar. The Altar was going to be a regular sized work (although probably nowhere near as large as Holly Rising or this one), with three sequels that were meant to be shorter works. In addition to taking place after the events of The Altar, the sequels would've taken place after some of the events in Price of Rebirth. However, when the protagonist of the letter story changed and I realized it would be difficult to combine stories together, that idea was dropped. The idea of the Wanderer series was also dropped with it.**

**-And Holly Rising is mentioned in this entry! As the story was winding down, Holly Rising's original RP, A Kanto Adventure, was just starting up. I wasn't doing too much work on it at the time, so I was still trying to work on this. Since Holly Rising was its very early days, I was writing down a lot of early concepts that I was considering using when the original RP, and the story that arose from it, got further along. Some of these concepts still made it into the final, complete, version of Holly Rising, and some of them didn't. Still other concepts that made a major impact in the final version of the story. There are even more early concepts that didn't get a chance to be detailed here, and those interested should read the now complete story Holly Rising in the regular Pokémon community.**

**-The story Bonds Retested is the name of the rebooted adventures of the character Psyche. The name is a reference to how her original story was called Dragon Bonds. This was because the major theme of both the original and the reboot was Psyche learning to trust and bond with others despite things that have happened to her in the past. Some of the characters from Bonds Retested other than Psyche also have appeared in earlier chapters in this work, although none of them got a lot of focus.**


	75. September 16, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journey of a Wheeling Gamer (September 16, 2017)**

And a time for some Fire Emblem Heroes! Time for the Semilocke team to do a new chapter!

But it's not all that easy…

Corrin is having trouble against spellcasters and healers, so she needs a lot of Light's Blessings. I try to do the next mission, but units keep getting in each other's way. Lloyd and Merric are unintentionally pitted against units they are not strong against. They end up defeated, and I am forced to restart.

Things get better the second time, and they seem to be going well. Unfortunately, Corrin was again up against units she was weak against as they flew over bridges and houses.

She quickly gets killed against a green mage and an axe flyer.

So I am forced to choose someone else.

It is difficult to choose at this point because I have run out of revival chances, and I don't want to spend a lot of time leveling to lose someone else mid-chapter. Olivia support skill of dance is invaluable, and because she's not going into combat, she is easy to train.

But I still have difficulty.

My first instinct is to throw Nowi at everything. But I immediately fail because there are units she is weak to. I also try to keep Olivia out of combat, but I fail to do that as well.

I restart several times, but my next few attempts don't go much better. There are the powerful units Elincia and Nephenee, and they use their high movement to chase after my team. Eventually, they heavily wound and even kill units that are weak to them.

Eventually, my only choice is to throw Olivia into combat.

Where she quickly gets killed.

At least the mission is finally cleared…

But I don't have many units left.

Luckily, I have an Axe user named Arthur. He's high level because of the Seal Quests earlier in the month. He only needs to be raised a bit more to be used in combat. So that's what I do, and head for the next chapter.

Everything seems to go smoothly. At least until the final part.

I try different formations in combat for the final chapter, but then I realized is only one convoluted way to beat it.

Nowi and Lloyd must stand next to each other in order to gain their support bonus. Lloyd must then attack Ike. Ike is then healed by Elincia, and attacks back. Merric comes in from behind and damages him. Lloyd then finishes off the mercenary, and Elincia is then killed by Nowi.

What happens next is chaotic.

The Masked Man comes in and is damaged by Merric. However, he also quickly kills him. Nowi lowers the enemy stats, but Arthur's attack is also lowered. The Black Knight engages Nowi, and both are injured. Arthur manages to attack the Masked Man, and Lloyd finishes him off. Nowi kills the Black Knight. She barely prevents him from using his attack, the deadly Eclipse.

But now, there is one unit left.

Oscar.

Oscar comes charging him from behind. I think he will attack Nowi.

But instead he has his sights set on another target.

Lloyd.

And before I can stop it, he kills him. At least Nowi took him out afterward.

And now I'm left to ponder about how bleak things have become. I don't have a lot of units left, and I'm almost losing more than I'm recruiting. Due to the random number generator and the fact that I can't spend money to get Orbs, there's also a lack of good units even in my reserves. This is only made worse by the game's slow updates, and although I promised to play to the end, there seems to be no end in sight.

So, for now I'm not sure how long this one will continue, or even the game itself. It's fitting for the backdrop, of an endless war where units constantly fight and die for a cause that never seems stop. A cause so dire that it spanned across time and space…

The Semilocke really does give a feeling of that… Perhaps even better than the game itself has…

The death toll for this run is very high, one of the highest of any of the runs. To my knowledge, only Pokemon Zeta as a Randomlocke and Pokémon Stadium one have been higher.

So the future doesn't look bright. But at least, I have plans if this run doesn't pan out…

But I will cross that bridge when I come to it.


	76. September 17, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 17, 2017)**

So I start off the day with another training session in the Emerald Nuzlocke. This will probably be one of the last, with me exploring the water routes in between Mossdeep and the next city. The Trainers are easy, and the routes very short. Pity I have to use an HM slave to get into the Seafloor Cavern, but I'm strong enough to handle it…

Before long, I met the start of the cavern, and the end is near…

So after that I train, and reminisce.

Flight Rising seems to be just the ticket today.

As usual, it is easy.

Sometimes I think about how far I've come. It's been a while since I started the run, almost one year to be exact. I was browsing around and wanting something about dragons, and I remembered my old Flight Rising account. I remember that I liked it, but got bored with the game's slow pace.

I thought maybe if I did a Nuzlocke and treated it like a regular game, my interest would rekindle. I at least wanted to be able to see it one last time, and complete all the achievements I'd been wanting to. Not to mention making up my own lore for the game made things interesting. And I wanted to see how much it changed.

So I decided I'd try again. If it didn't interest me, I'd stop.

So here I am again, almost one year later and still going. The run still has its issues, such as slowness and lack of things to do with the toughest equipment. Internet connection and disconnects are also a problem, but there is nothing I can handle. Of course, it limits me in the amount of areas I can do, the game is rather redundant, so if I played it more I'm not sure it would keep going.

But overall I'm pleasantly surprised.

I'm now nearing the game's latter half, after all this time, and it feels like quite an accomplishment. I've now got a lot of the achievements cleared, a lot of the areas cleared, and a lot more interesting dragons. Not to mention interesting lore during this time.

And a lot has happened in my life too. Makes for very interesting lore, and a reason to go back. It's kind of like a log of what happened.

Of course I will keep going, and hope that the log will see its end.

It's only fitting that I do, after all I've built up.


	77. September 18, 2017

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 18, 2017)**

Time for another entry on the Gold Semilocke!

This time, I head towards the Radio Tower to liberate it from Team Rocket.

But I run into problems.

I don't have a lot of defenders, and opponents do a lot of damage. My one defender, Umbreon has horrible attack. Not to mention that poison runs rampant here, and I'm not able to heal it due to Full Heals not yet being available.

Sludge is the main attack, and it does a lot of damage. It's particularly bad for Dratini, and its horrible defenses.

At one point, it even gets killed. At least I have revival chances…

Despite everything that happens, I eventually reach the boss Rocket. He only uses one Type, but he is not easy. I go up with my Umbreon against his Weezing.

And that's where things start to get hairy.

Sludge still does a lot of damage, despite Umbreon's superior defense. And Umbreon not being an attacker means I can't attack back very well.

However, I still try to hang in there and finish the fight.

But then tragedy strikes.

Weezing is almost gone, but it still has some life left in it.

It fires off a critical Sludge, killing Umbreon.

I send in Scyther to take care of it, but Weezing is still in the fight.

It explodes, taking Scyther with it. Perhaps it would let me have the satisfaction of defeating it.

Luckily, the rest of the fight goes easily. I have enough revival chances to continue with the team, but it's still quite a blow.

And there is even more trouble to come.

Since the item to evolve Scyther comes late (or is otherwise very difficult to get), I decide to use a code to get it early.

Except there's one problem.

The game I normally use for codes is Crystal, but the codes are different from Gold and Silver.

And Gold is currently what I have.

My original plan is to put the Metal Coat into Gold, and then only make the trade once.

But things don't go according to plan, as I cannot find the specific codes for Pokémon Gold.

So instead, I put the Metal Coat into Crystal and trade twice.

With it, Scyther finally evolves. And there is much rejoicing. This is also preceded by Dratini, who evolved into Dragonair soon after getting killed and revived at the Radio Tower.

And now I have one last challenge.

Silver.

Well, he's not much of a challenge. But he is an important battle, nonetheless.

He gives his motivation here, and it makes sense that he would continue to chase Team Rocket, given who his father is and his history with them…

He doesn't bring much to the table, but something interesting does happen.

I actually use Tail Whip in the battle. I don't think I've ever done that.

I'm up against his strongest Pokémon, Feraligator. And I'm fighting with Umbreon. Umbreon isn't doing a lot of damage, but neither is my opponent. I decide to use Tail Whip in order to constantly lower the foe's defense. After a while, Tail Whip's done enough damage where I can defeat it easier.

And at last I can continue out of the area, as I continue on my mission to liberate the Radio Tower.


	78. September 19, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are the property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 19, 2017)**

So, today's a day for training in Flight Rising. It's getting easier now, perhaps because my dragons are stronger. Or perhaps because I'm getting used to it.

But that's not the main event. The main event is training again, but this time, it's in Fire Emblem Heroes. A third team requires being leveled up, and I'm currently doing so.

Of course, they all come with their own strengths and weaknesses. For starters, half of the team is mages. This makes things interesting, because the team is very good at fending off enemies from a distance. Unfortunately, this also means that they are weak to physical attacks, and two of them cannot strike up close.

As for the mages themselves, they couldn't be more different, Linde has good skills from inheritance (Blárblade and Moonbow), and can also double as a healer with Ardent Sacrifice. The latter is not the best option for her though, considering her low HP. However, her high damage makes her a strong fighter all around, even if she has to be kept away from direct combat.

Soren, however, is a completely different matter. He is a green mage, which means he'll take on entirely different sets of enemies. However, his skills are different too. Unfortunately, they're not as good as Linde's. Soren is unfortunately very slow, even if he can deal good damage. His skill, Watersweep, does not help with that, making him even slower against certain enemies. Rising Wind and Growing Wind aren't that great either. They are arena attack skills, which in general are not that great.

Eldigan is incredible, however. With the recently acquired Quickened Pulse, he can use the special effect of his unique sword to quickly execute powerful offensive skills. While he currently only has the light version of Soren's Growing Wind, I am looking forward to placing more powerful attack skills on him to make use of this power. Lunge can be good or bad, depending on where he is. However, the best use I can find for it is by setting up units for others to take out. There's Fury, but that's rather situational. It's generally regarded as a good skill, but I won't use it now. Eldigan has good attack as is, and it goes without saying that he also can back it up with good movement.

And then there's Corrin. Otherwise known as the average person. Corrin is unfortunately rather redundant, because of Eldigan eclipsing him in both attack and movement. He does have the powerful Dragon Gaze, but not much else. His average stats start to show unfortunately, as he lags behind the rest of the team and requires a lot of Light's Blessings.

But enough about that! It seems there's new Tempest Trials events coming up, starring the units that came out recently. This event seems to be themed around the ninth and 10th games, Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn.

I was hoping to get my four teams leveled up to participate in this event, but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case. However, with one team leveled up and another running full Skill Inheritance, I have a better chance. Skill Inheritance has already proved to be a massive asset here, so I've no doubt it will continue to be.

But then there's the fact that the event involves Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Admittedly, the two are not my favorite games, even though I don't mind Ike. I feel like he is a bit overused, but I'm glad the older games are getting some representation when recent events have focused on the newer ones. Not to mention that Ike and his group are so popular that having an event centered around them is sure to draw people in. And if the game draws people in, that it can keep selling.

I hope it goes even further back, though. I'd like to see more of Jugdral…


	79. September 20, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 20, 2017)**

Time for another entry, and more of the Mimikyu solo run. It's time for the trial at Brooklet Hill.

And it's here I meet Lana. One of my favorite characters in the game, mainly because I enjoy pranksters and those who have an association with water. Not to mention her dialogue is hilarious…

But now I have to fight some Whisiwashi. It is rather easy, and not because of my high levels.

Whisiwashi has the worst stats in Pokémon, beating out Magikarp for that title.

However, like Magikarp, something happens when it hits level 20.

It transforms.

Wishiwashi has the ability Schooling, which means that it gets much higher stats when it reaches level 20 and has 50% or more HP. On top of that, I'm battling in the rain. This gives my opponent higher attack, but it doesn't do a thing to help me.

On top of that, there are other Wishiwashi using Helping Hand. They don't have a lot of stats on their own, but they can increase the abilities of the main Pokémon. On top of that, I know I'm going to have trouble with the Totem Pokémon's aura. This aura increases defense, and physical attacks are all I have.

And then I realize something.

Wishiwashi doesn't have a lot of defense to compensate. It can heal, but only a little bit with a Stritus Berry. It also only uses special attacks, which Mimikyu weathers easily.

Now, it's simply a matter of outlasting its attacks, with its strongest being Water Gun. I get injured a lot, but I'm able to outlast it with healing items. Bulk Up, Shadow Sneak and Normalium Z secure the win.

So off to meet another person, Hapu. Hapu and her Mudsdale are apparently traveling around, helping those in need and getting stronger.

And it appears there's a Driftloon being terrorized by Team Skull.

Luckily, I'm able to save it.

As for Hapu, I do like her character. She is an interesting take on a young Trainer, and the way she acts makes sense. Not to mention she's kind of an interesting rival, even if she doesn't really go against the player in battle most of the time…

I only wish I could meet her earlier…

And I head on to the Battle Royal

I guess I'd better explain how I feel about Battle Royals. I don't particularly like them, mainly because they're bit of a mess. It's difficult to remember the rules, and still difficult to not lose (or win) easily. This is because it only takes one hit to decide the match. There's also the fact that there is four Pokémon on the screen and everyone's all facing different directions. This makes battle lag horribly and simultaneously move very fast. It makes it very difficult to tell who's doing what. Not to mention that the rewards aren't that great. There's another place after the main game is cleared that is far better with rewards.

But that is neither here nor there, as I continue through the second island.


	80. September 21, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 21, 2017)**

Time for another entry! And time to start off the day with Fire Emblem Heroes!

Looks like there's a bunch of new maps for Fire Emblem Heroes! And they are a bit different from previous ones.

That's because they're based on the new entry Fire Emblem Warriors, and are released in its honor. They work like a typical Warriors map, with lots of enemies and a boss. They also contain lots of houses, and enemies are constantly emerging.

Before long, there is a swarm.

But I'm not worried.

My units are strong, and they can easily take out the enemies by themselves. There are some injuries, but overall, there are no issues.

And it's all to excellent remixes of the different Fire Emblem themes. Pretty interesting, and well worth playing. Of course, I have to wait a while before the game (I can only get the Switch version, since my 3DS won't run it).

Speaking of which, the new maps give Orbs. And Orbs means more summoning!

But I have a bit of trouble, getting a lack of strong units or units that I already have. So instead, I turn my attention to the Tempest Trials.

The new Tempest Trials are the same as what I've written down before. And my second team is quite strong, so I should still have the means to conquer it if my first team falls. They will have to work together to combat weaknesses, but overall, I feel like my odds are very good.

So my next area is Flight Rising. Unfortunately, training is more difficult. The level curve makes it so that dragons take a long time to level up. And opponents are dodging my attacks.

At one point, I think about giving up.

But I resolve to keep going. I've been with the characters for a long time, and I want them to get a happy ending.

Within time, everyone's ready for the next area.

Which leaves me with one more place.

The Mimikyu solo run. Specifically, the Battle Royals. I'm able to easily win because of my high level. But it can be difficult because of the many physical attacks that are being thrown at me. Attacks that include Pursuit (from Type: Null), Aqua Jet (from Bironne), and Rock Throw (from Rockruff). I win simply by attacking. First, attacking Null with Breakneck Blitz. Then, attacking Rockruff with Shadow Sneak.

And then I'm off to Wela Volcano Park. The Trainers there are easy, so it's a fast climb. Alice tries to learn Charm, but I stop her. Her Feint Attack proves useful against the accuracy lowering Roggenrola, especially. The trial also proves to be easy, with Marowak weak against my attacks despite having strong ones of its own. The only problem I have with the upcoming Magmar is Clear Smog. It likes to use that when I use Work Up, and it resets all my stats.

But then the real problem comes in.

Sazdazzle.

This fully evolved Pokémon has Toxic, while I have little healing items. It also has moves like Torment and Taunt to mess up my attacks.

I am bit worried about it.

But I find it has one problem.

Sazdazzle has neither offense or defense. I'm able to heal the poison with just a single Antidote. With my usual strategy, the Totem Pokémon is beaten back quickly.

And now, I finally get Fly added to my Ride Pager.

Next time is the time for backtracking, as I go to finish up the first island.


	81. September 22, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Journeys of a Wheeling Gamer (September 22, 2017)**

So it looks like there's more Ultra Sun and Moon prerelease news today. All of it's got me excited, of course.

There's a new surfing minigame using Mantine, and it looks really cool. It reminds me a lot of the Pikachu minigame in Pokémon Yellow, and that was immensely enjoyable. The Pokédex also gets expansion, which was badly needed. Now there's over 400 Pokémon, and I can't wait to catch them all.

Also, it looks like Mina will have her own trial. That will be interesting, considering her trial not was until postgame originally. It seems to be early on. I wonder what it will contain? Something about painting, maybe?

More notes on version exclusives, such as Houndoom and Manetric. I've already used both of those Pokémon several times, so I might not use them here. But it's nice to see that they're in the game, since I like them both.

Alolan Marowak is a Totem Pokémon… Honestly, I can't say too much about that. Hopefully, it won't be as easy to beat as its counterpart in the originals…

And more info on the Photo Club. Seems like they're doing some pretty good improvements… I'm open to whatever improvements there are… And I'm hoping that this becomes a good feature… I wasn't really crazy about in the originals, but it could have been something really interesting… Hopefully, more work is put into it this time…

And more good information for Pokémon! Gold and Silver is being released on the Virtual Console! It's a shame that Crystal is not with them, but I'm assuming that it's because it was released on Game Boy Color, rather than the original Game Boy. Apparently, there's data for it in some of the more recent games, so it may be seen later.

I'll be getting them of course, but I won't be playing them right away. The reason being that I mainly want those games so I can transfer old teams up to my collection in the Pokémon Bank. It's also a very useful way to get Hidden Abilities, which might be good in the tougher facilities. There's also useful glitches for things such as shiny and high-level Pokémon. But I'm bad at doing those, so I probably won't use them.

Finally, some progress on the Flight Rising Nuzlocke. It's time for a new area, it seems. I roll three extra Beastclan fights, but they are easy. It's not that difficult, others than some enemies ganging up on me. I have a lot of survival chances, and the run appears to be nearing its end.

I grab a female Guardian hatchling, and the area comes to an end.

Despite the length and how slow the run is going, it seems there might be hope that I can make it to the end.


	82. September 23, 2017

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies. Also, see the author's notes for details.**

* * *

**Journeys of the a Wheeling Gamer (September 23, 2017)**

So today was another day for Pokémon Emerald! One of the last sessions, it seems. Time to navigate the Seafloor Cavern. One of my least favorite areas, and most of the time, I can't navigate it without a map…

Yet somehow I get the through it the first time…

It's a shock, but at least this and the next part goes easily.

And then I have to watch one of the most nonsensical things in gaming…

So, I have to go to Sky Pillar and summon Rayquaza… But it makes no sense!

Rayquaza is the equivalent of a god, and the player has no qualifications to summon it. Not to mention, Rayquaza is very powerful, even more so than the gods that it's trying to stop.

So there's no reason Rayquaza won't turn on the player (or even the rest of the city they're trying to save) and possibly make things worse… At best, it would just fly away…

This gets even worse when the remakes, when there is someone who has prerequisites to summon Rayquaza, and she can't summon it, because the player's there…

Once again, it makes no sense.

But sense or not, Rayquaza listens, and the cutscene ends.

And I'm standing near the final gym. Finally, I'm getting near the end.

And now there's something important going on in Fire Emblem: Heroes.

The start of the new Tempest Trials. New info is revealed about the vortex, and just how much damage it causes.

All the more reason to take it down.

I want to get the Black Knight. Also, I don't have the advantage of bonus units that I did before. I don't even have one.

And the fights have stepped up their game.

In particular is the final fight.

This includes the Black Knight himself.

And he is quite a fearsome foe.

The Black Knight can attack units both near and far, and hit all of them for decent to devastating damage. The only unit that has the advantage against him is Odin, and he's not very strong. In fact, the rest of the team gets outright annihilated, whereas Odin barely limps away.

Fitting, considering who's doing the fighting.

There are other red units too, so Odin has to work even harder.

But eventually, he can't hang on, and the team is defeated.

Thankfully, I have my second team come and finish things off. Things are easy for them, especially with Reinhart defeating everything.

I take a hit in points. But at least I get something.

So I try to go to the arena. But I don't do well there either.

I can only hope that the rest of the game won't be as devastating.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**-So this entry is the last of the regular blog entries. With Holly Rising and related works quickly taking center stage, I wrote less and less for Scrapbook until it was almost completely abandoned. There are some entries that were created after this point, but they consisted of only vague notes, with no way to figure out what might have been. The runs used within Scrapbook were mostly abandoned as well, put aside in favor of other adventures or simply not working out for the purpose that was intended. Other runs, such as Okami, are still planned to be done, but they probably will not be logged.**

**-However, there is still some content after this entry. The content consists of a few Pokémon challenges that were done and recorded on this blog, despite having not much to do with the original entries. Furthermore, one of them was done for the express purpose of giving the blog a suitable sendoff, and there is a proper conclusion within the log upon that challenge's completion. This is also one of the main reasons why the blog was put into the Pokémon series of crossovers, as opposed to simply being thrown in the miscellaneous games.**

**So for those interested, read on, and discover the ending to this ancient story.**


	83. Absol Solo Run Log

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! This is the first entry involving Pokémon challenges that I did after the original blog was no longer being updated with regular entries. Thanks to the Mimikyu solo run challenge featured in previous chapters, I developed an interest in doing more. So I decided to take one Pokémon and see if I could take that creature through all the known regions. There was also going to be a story attached to it, although my interests changed. This story, my results, and the changes will be detailed in entry and the author's notes below. As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

* * *

**Absol Solo Run**

I may as well log this, because I'm going to do a story about it later…

Okay, first run…

**Kanto (Firered)**

First region... I grab my potion and make my way to the lab. I've randomized the game so that my starter is an Absol. I make sure she is female, and I name her Irma.

Now to speed past the boring intro…

And then I get straight into a rival battle against Charmander… I easily defeat him with a couple of scratches, although he also scratches me back. I also go on to defeat things in the routes, and they fall easily… I will need my level to be high…

I learn Taunt at lv. 9… Probably won't be using this… Also catch a Pidgey for flying around.

Off I go to Route 22… The second rival battle awaits…

And it actually gives me some difficulty… The Pidgey that he has uses Sand Attack, which lowers my accuracy… And then my scratches miss constantly… So much for not using Taunt…

Charmander gets in quite a few attacks, including one critical hit… Irma nearly is defeated, but gets lucky and I win the match.

After this, I go back into the city to heal and get items.

So I head into Viridian Forest… My biggest fear is poison, but I have a bunch of antidotes… Luckily, nothing seems to give me much trouble... I also fight everything I can here… I will need the levels for later… Irma learns Quick Attack, and later, Razor Wind… My biggest problems are Pikachu paralyzing me with Static, and running out of power points with Scratch… Luckily, Quick Attack solves those issues…

I then head to Route 2… There's nothing here, so I instead head to Pewter…

And then I make a beeline to the Gym… This is why I did so much leveling in the early game… The gym uses Rock Type Pokemon, and all of Absol's early moves are Normal Type… It can do at most, half damage to them…

Luckily, Razor Wind proves to be powerful, doing quite a bit of damage… The catch is that Absol has to wait a turn before using it… And with its weak defenses, that may not be a risk I'm able to take… Luckily, the enemies here are weak, and I can easily defeat rock types with Razor Wind… There's also a Sandshrew, but it's defeated easily…

My next opponent is Brock, but I will give him a day to himself… The battle with him might be a long one…

**One day later…**

Off to continue through the region after not playing in a while… Time to go face Brock with only Normal Type moves.

His Geodude uses Defense Curl against Razor Wind, my strongest move, generally being annoying… Its Tackle also injures Irma. Eventually, I have to take it down with Quick Attack, because Irma needs Razor Wind for the next opponent… Also end up using a Potion.

My next opponent is Onix, who can injure Irma immediately with Rock Tomb. I have to quickly waste a potion, and hope it doesn't continuously use it… Luckily, it decides to use Tackle and Bind, which do considerably less damage… I think I might've scored a critical hit in there, because Onix goes from near healthy to red pretty quick… Nevertheless, I earn my first Badge with Razor Wind, and I'm off…

My potions are pretty depleted, so I'm going to grab some… I spend almost all my money on potions, and Quick Attack destroys everything… Also, there are a few things that poison me (an Ekans with Poison Sting and a Nidoran female with Poison Point), but overall, pretty easy. Luckily, I have a lot of antidotes…

Also Irma learns Bite here… It's not nearly as strong as some of the other attacks, because it goes off of the much lower special attack, but at least it's a move of the same Type…

And Mt. Moon goes without a hitch... I find the exit very quickly, but decide to go back and explore… Along the way, I find the TM for Thief, which is the first one Irma can actually learn… However, she doesn't need it now… Also catch a Paras and a Geodude for HM purposes, although the former paralyzes me and uses all my Poké Balls…

I decide to head to the north of cerulean and take on my rival. Battle goes very easy… Also Irma learns Swords Dance… A very good move, provided I can take a hit…

I still have some more poisoning issues, and also, my first encounter with Fighting Types, Irma's weakness. Luckily, the encounters are short, but I have a feeling they will be longer…

And I'm proven right when I had an encounter with a Machop while attempting to catch a thief... It uses a Fighting Type move (either Karate Chop or Low Kick) and does about 25 damage despite being 10 levels below me… A taste of what will happen later in the game…

And the Cerulean Gym battle goes easily, especially since her best Pokémon is weak to Dark… To be fair, the player isn't supposed to have any Dark Type moves at this point in the game…

Time to head down the underground path, except I somehow end up going the wrong direction…

Eventually, I get out of there and on to the next route… Not too many problems here, other than Static from a Pikachu, and paralysis in general being annoying… Now I'm at Vermillion.

I'm immediately at SS Anne. Not much here, aside from a lot of Trainers… My second encounter with a Machop, but I still have problems... They now know Seismic Toss and that does a lot of damage… Unfortunately, I don't have anything strong enough to take them out in one hit, since Razor Wind requires me taking a hit… Also forgot to mention Irma can learn Water Pulse, but I'm not going to use it now.

I will take a break in the cabin. It will probably be a few days before I play again…

**And the third day comes around…**

And another day begins… Next I continue with the SS Anne.

There are pretty easy fights, although the third rival battle is here. I had a close call… I began by using Swords Dance, followed by Quick Attack. That allowed his Pidgetto to get in Sand Attack. Then a bunch of attacks missed… And after that Charmelon burned me with Ember… I was still able to win, but I had to use a Super Potion and I was still injured.

Now to teach one of my HM slaves Cut, and off I head to the next Gym…

Irma learns Slash before I leave the boat. It replaces Razor Wind as my main attacking move.

I also get Super Potions because they're better than what I currently have.

Unfortunately, I got the electric locks wrong three times, but finally managed to complete the puzzle... Now for Surge…

And his Pokémon go down easily because they're all weak to physical attacks… I can learn Shock Wave now, but I don't use it.

Route 11 is next. It's still easy, but I'm starting to run into issues… Quick Attack is starting to lose usefulness because it is weak… And Magnemite can resist that and do quite a bit of damage back… Also, I try to grab Flash here, but realize I need 10 species of Pokémon… Off I go to grab random ones… Honestly, I hate how items are tied to how many Pokémon one catches…

So after using about 40 Poké Balls and getting Irma injured, I finally get the HM… A bit of work for that one move, but it will make an area later easier…

And I get the bicycle. Now I can move even faster. I also get another TM Aerial Ace I teach it to Irma right away…

Fighting Types fall easily as I make my way through the routes. Eventually, Rock Tunnel awaits. This is why I wanted Flash, because the cave is otherwise annoying to get through…

Rock Tunnel is easy now that it's lit up… My only concern is running out of Power Points, and although I come close, that doesn't happen.

On to Lavender Town… There isn't much to do here, so I head to the next route.

Route 8 is nothing too exciting… Some Power Point issues, and Nidoran that poisons and injures Irma, but nothing too bad…

And with that, I speed past the next route into Celadon.

Since my level is so high, I'm going to take on the Gym Leader first. Pretty easy, since everything dies to Aerial Ace… Also worth noting that Irma tried to learn Future Sight in the cave and Perish Song in the Gym. Since both of those attacks are fairly useless, I didn't allow her to learn either…

The Gym Leader goes down just like her lackeys do... I am now halfway through the first region… But that's all for today… The Rocket Hideout is long, and they have to clear that before I can move on…

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**-Unfortunately, this is the last of the Absol solo run, and it's unlikely there will be any more about it. This is for two reasons. One of which was that the story planned to be about this run was meant to be the sequel to The Altar. After the events there, an Absol, a Pokémon that can predict disaster, has a dream about a crisis yet to come. Realizing this dream is a message about impending danger and that it must be delivered to specific people, the Absol sets out on a journey across all of the regions in order to deliver the message to the intended recipients. This whole journey took place in Price of Rebirth's world, with the anticipated disaster coming to an affecting all of the worlds. Once Price of Rebirth and the Altar were changed, the story was dropped.**

**The second reason was later on that there was another set of runs undertaken by a female Gardevoir named Gracie. It was set as part of the then fairly new Traveler series, becoming the current story Diary and the basis of another (as of this writing, future) story Angel. Furthermore, Gracie's story was much more successful, and as of this writing, is currently halfway through the known regions in their entirety. Gracie's story borrowed some elements from the original solo runs, but also expanded on them and the Pokémon world at large. With Traveler being a completely separate series, Gracie's story became a tale all its own. With Gracie taking over for the Absol in both story and gameplay, the latter's solo run probably will not continue. But the notes from when it was active are still here, and thus they are put into the story.**


	84. Around Sinnoh in 30 Days

**Welcome back to another entry in Scrapbook! This is another Pokémon challenge that I did, although unlike the challenge in the previous chapter, it was complete from start to finish. The challenge was created by the administrator of the boards The Artist's Zone. **

**In this challenge, participants could pick any Pokémon game they wanted to play up until the main game was completed. The catch is that the games had to be completed in 30 days or less, and players could only play up to three hours per day. Any time that was missed could not be made up. All gameplay had to be recorded in a log that would be posted on the boards, with timestamps and dates to show how much time had been spent playing. Players could also impose any additional restrictions they wished, but these restrictions were not required. **

**The following chapter details my results in the challenge. However, it is worth noting that the log was written for a group that had played most of the Pokémon games before (or at least knew about them). Therefore, it assumes readers are the same. Regardless, credit goes to the administrator of the Artist's Zone for the original challenge, and all characters are property of their respective creators. See the author's notes for details.**

* * *

**Pokémon Platinum TAZ Game Log (Around Sinnoh in 30 Days)**

**Day One (October 1, 2017)**

**9:43-10: 48 AM**

So I'm using Pokémon Platinum on cart (US version). The game is started using a 3DS XL

As for this run, trading is allowed; transferring is not. The game will be played with no restrictions, with a party of six Pokémon. The post game will be played, but only if there's time.

The first thing is realize that my game is old, and at first I think it no longer works. However, I search online and realized that games can get dusty, and the blowing on them gets rid of the dust (the game had been sitting at desk for a long time). I also did this with a few other games as a test, and all worked afterward. I do that with this game and it works fine. I quickly text myself a reminder to go do this. Since the game didn't even start, I do not count this towards total time. For recording purposes, it took around 20 minutes.

Anyway, I delete all data and watch the introductory cut scene. My character is female and named Kris. My rival is named Barry, and the game is started at Day. The text speed is set to fast, battle scene to off, and frame type to 11.

I get past more introductory cut scenes, and choose my starter. It's a male Piplup, and before I can name it, I'm thrown into my first rival battle. Both Pokémon are level 5, and my rival's Pokémon is Turtwig. Turtwig uses Withdraw, but I consistently use Pound. It starts using Tackle near the end, but Pound still takes it out. After that, Piplup grows to level 6.

Soon, I enter the Verity Lake cutscene with Cyrus. Shortly after, I run across Route 201, battling wild Pokémon. From all this, Piplup grows to level 7. Finally, I get to Sandgem and Piplup is named Claudius.

Time to head back home and obtain the Journal. Following that, I return to Sandgem and watch the catching demonstration. I capture a male Shinx on Route 202. He is level 4, and is named Ion. Heading back to Route 201 nets me a female Starly. She is level 2, and named R2D2. However, the encounters left me almost out of Poké Balls. With that, I went to go buy more.

I started training on the wild Pokémon, with Ion going first. I have a lot of trouble, such as getting weakened by Bidoof. I and is nearly killed by a Starly and critical hits. He learns Leer but gets weakened by almost everything else on the route. Regardless, Ion gets to level 7. R2D2 then starts training. However, she still has trouble, getting weakened by all sorts of things. I decide to take a break when reaches level 4. I will post more later, although this may not always be the case. I may not always be able to do the full three hours, but I will do what I can. Currently, I have one hour and 55 minutes remaining today.

**Day One: Part Two**

**4:46-5: 32 PM**

It's been a few hours, and I continue to train. R2D2 learned Quick Attack as I easily breezed through training and R2D2. With that, Claudius also learns Bubble. After, I enter Jublife.

As soon as I arrive, I'm reminded that Looker is hilarious. I'm also wondering where Anabel is. Regardless, I went to the Trainer's school. I already knew all of what they were trying to teach. However, I met my rival Barry and gave him his map.

After this, I took on some of the trainers using Quick Attack. R2D2 learns Wing Attack as well. I got a Pokétech, and then went to check out some of the houses in the city. Doing that gave me a Quick Claw, and I gave it to Claudius.

My next Rival fight is on Route 203. I defeat him easily with R2D2's Wing Attack. Ion later learns Charge. My next destination is Oreburgh Gate. There, I get HM 06, Rock Smash. An enemy Shinx makes Ion faint with a critical Tackle. This is after being weakened, and deciding not to use any potions. Claudius then defeat the enemy with Bubble. Claudius himself is injured by a Bidoof, but wins without any potions. After that, I enter Oreburgh. I heal up, then decide to take another break. I have an hour and nine minutes remaining today.

**Day One: Part Three**

**8: 48-10:01 PM**

Now, the time is night and I've explored all the houses in Oreburgh. My next step is to enter Oreburgh mine. There, I defeat the Trainers, exit the mine, and hit the Gym. Trainers fall easily to Claudius, although Ion gets some experience too. With that, I begin to battle Roark.

Geodude and Onix fall to Bubble, but Onix sets up Stealth Rock and Rock Throw. Cranidos uses Leer twice, then defeats Claudius with Headbutt. About half its HP lowered is with Bubble before that. Regardless, it prompts a restart.

The first two Pokémon go almost the same as before, but the last battle goes differently. I use Growl twice, but also get hit twice.

I also have to heal a lot as attacks do a lot of damage (mainly headbutt), and I even flinch at one point. Eventually, Cranidos starts using Leer as I prepare to attack. I keep trying to use Bubble as the attacks leave Claudius very weakened (one time at six HP). This drains all my healing items, and I'm too weak to survive another hit (opponent does 20 damage, and I have 19 HP). I barely win with a Quick Claw activation.

After the Gym, I go to grab more Potions. My next order of business is to catch a Bidoof for HMs. He is a level 5 male named Night. I quickly teach Night Rock Smash and return to Jublife. I talk to Looker again, and realize I forgot to obtain a Pal Pad. I will need it later because one of my Pokémon that I'm planning to use evolves by trade. I go get the Pal Pad, and start to head out of the city.

At the edge there's there's team Galactic and Professor Rowan, along with a hilarious conversation. R2D2 gets injured by Stunky's Fury Swipes, but Chimchar burns it after.

In this battle, R2D2 learns Double Team. After the fight, I get the Fashion Case, but will not use it this run.

I heal up before heading out to Route 204. Once there, Ion learns Spark. After that, I enter Ravaged Path. I get out of there to do the other side of Route 204. While there, R2D2 evolves into Staravia. Ion is also nearly defeated by a Pachurisu duo's Quick Attack. Meanwhile, Claudius learns Peck. Eventually, I enter Flamora and explore. I get the watering can and a bunch of berries, but I decide not to use them until later. I also decide to stop here for the day because I hit the three-hour time limit.

Session end point: Flamora Town

Current party:

Claudius (Piplup): level 15

Ion (Shinx): level 14

R2D2 (Staravia): level 14

Night (Bidoof): level 5

Nickname explanations:

Ion = an object used for electricity

R2D2 = robot from Star Wars and what I think Starly's cry sounds like

Night = Pokémon was caught at night

Claudius = one of the emperors of Rome

**Day Two (October 2, 2017)**

**8:28-11: 28 PM**

I start at night and head to Route 205. After that I continue to Valley Windworks. Ion is weakened by a Glameow's Scratch, but wins using Charge and Spark. Also, Ion evolves into Luxio. Claudius is weakened by constant attacks, but I defeat all the Trainers. Claudius also evolves into Prinplup and learns Metal Claw.

Next is the battle against commander Mars. I lead with Ion against her Zubat, and defeat Zubat with Spark. Then, I go up against Purugly. Purugly nearly defeats Ion with Fake Out and Scratch. I manage to launch a Spark, although it doesn't do much damage. Unfortunately, Ion is defeated by a Scratch. Therefore, I send in R2D2 to lower Purugly's Attack. I do a lot of damage with Wing Attack, but Purugly heals with an Oran Berry. Purugly weakens R2D2 with two more Scratches, but using Wing Attack twice defeats it.

I have to point out that I love the dynamic with Charon… I wonder what it would've been like if he was the boss…

Anyway, I heal up in town before heading out to Route 205. Ion gets injured by an Aipom's Astonish, but manages to make it through. I stop at a rest house before moving on.

After that, I enter Eterna Forest and team up with Cheryl. While fighting the trainers, R2D2 learned Endeavor. R2D2 is also injured by a multiple time Spark from a Pachurisu.

Ion injured from a critical Hidden Power from an Abra, but learns Bite. Claudius is injured by a Meditite's Confusion, but also learns Bubblebeam. As I exit the forest, Cheryl leaves and I get the Soothe Bell. I enter the other half of Route 205. After that, I arrive at Eterna and explore. There's a cutscene at the statue and I quickly meet Cynthia. She gives me HM01 (Cut) and I teach it to Night. I make a quick stop at Route 211, but I end up not doing anything there.

Instead, my next destination is Eterna Gym. The Trainers there are easy, but I do have to go to the Center to heal after getting hit by Stun Spore. Eventually, there is the battle against Gardenia. At first, it's R2D2 versus Turtwig. Turtwig is nearly killed by Wing Attack, but healed up. This happens again, but without the healing. Turtwig manages to use Sunny Day, but is defeated by another Wing Attack. Cherrim is next. R2D2 uses Wing Attack, but hit by Magical Leaf. It does about 15 damage, but Wing Attack severely weakens the opponent. Cherrim is defeated next turn. The final Pokémon is Roserade. Doserade uses Stun Spore, but Wing Attack nearly defeats it. Roserade then heals with a Sitrus Berry. R2D2 is weakened by Magical Leaf, but defeat Roserade with Wing Attack. After that, I get the Forest Badge.

Following my victory, I decide to go to Old Château to capture Rotom. After reaching the end of the building, I fight Rotom. I lead with Ion. However, Rotom uses Confuse Ray

and Ion hits itself in confusion. I manage to paralyze Rotom with Spark, but Ion is injured from hinting itself in confusion. Rotom then uses Double Team. I have to heal, but fire off a Spark before then. Ion is hit with a Thundershock but misses a Spark. Ion is hit with Uproar. My Pokémon misses again and is injured. Rotom is finally hit by Spark, but Ion goes down. I decide to then use R2D2 and try to capture Rotom. It breaks out of a Heal Ball, as R2D2 gets it by Uproar. However, I then catch Rotom in a Poké Ball. Rotom is level 20 and named Pumper. Pumper replaces Ion when I get back to the city.

My next destination is the Galactic Building. There are a lot of battles, but the only noteworthy one is switching out Pumper on a Croagunk and get hit by Pursuit. Within time, there is a battle against Jupiter. I lead with Pumper against Zubat. The latter is defeated in one hit by Thundershock. After that, it's Claudius and Skuntank. Skuntank misses Poison Gas and Claudius hits with Bubblebeam. Skuntank hits with Night Slash, get hit with Bubblebeam, injures Claudius, and heals with a Sitrus Berry. Heal and attack again, only to barely survive two Night Slashes with 9 HP left. Claudius is defeated the next turn and I send in Pumper. Pumper is nearly killed with Night Slash, but uses Confuse Ray. It's defeated the next turn, and I send in R2D2. Skuntank uses Night Slash, but is defeated by a critical Wing Attack. R2D2 has a chance to learn Whirlwind, but does not.

After all this, I get the Bike and register it. I also get a Pokémon Egg and decide to keep it in my party for now. I enter Route 211 from the other side, and Pumper learns Shock Wave. I arrive at Mt. Coronet, but get a little lost before realizing where I have to go next. I decide to stop at Eterna. However, I realize I may not be able to do the full three hours the next day.

Current party:

Egg

Male Bidoof (Night): lv. 5

Male Priplup (Claudius): lv. 22

Female Staravia (R2D2): lv. 22

Rotom (Pumper): lv. 22

Nickname explanation = Pumper (I have a pump inside me that pumps medicine into my body. Since Rotom can possess and operate machines, if I lived in the Pokémon world, I was imagined there would be a Rotom helping operate the pump).

**Day 3 (October 3, 2017)**

**9:06 AM-12:06 PM**

Today I realized I can do all three hours if I do them straightaway in the morning. I decide to do that, seeing as I'm not doing anything based on time for a while. It's also worth mentioning that I got the Explorer Kit last session, but I'm not going to do the sidequests with it because of time. I actually am able to do them in full due to having multiple Sinnoh games.

With all that done, I start at morning. I buy Super Potions before heading out and enter Cycling Road (Route 206). Claudius also injured by a Staravia, but wins easily. Also, Claudius does not learn Bide. I don't do Wayward Cave because of time and not wanting the Pokémon there. I do the areas around it, however. After that, I enter Route 207. I get the Versus Seeker and the Dowsing Machine before entering Mt. Coronet again. I enter Route 208, but decide to head back and heal.

After all that, I arrive at Hearthome, and explore. I choose not to do Amity Square or Contests in the interest of time. However, I do hatch a male Togepi. He is level 1, named Steam, and put in the box. I meet Fantina at the Contest Hall, but I do not follow her to the Gym. Instead, I receive a male Eevee from one of the houses. He is level 20, and named Artisan. I head back into the forest evolve Eevee, and it evolves into Leafeon. After evolution, Artisan learns Grass Knot.

My next task is heading back to Hearthome to train. Along the way, I capture a Bibarel for HM purposes. The Pokémon is female, level 15, and named Day. Day immediately goes in the box. I also get the Odd Keystone here, but I won't use it this run. During training, Artisan learns Quick Attack. Artisan nearly defeated by a wild Roselia, but manages to win. I try to find the evolved forms of Pokémon, such as Roselia and Bibarel, but I have a little trouble. Artisan is later defeated by a Bibarel's Headbutt while paralyzed and Rollout from Stun Spore. Nevertheless, he completes training.

With that, I finally head for the Gym. However, the Trainers there are tough. R2D2 gets injured by a Misdreavus's Confuse Ray and Psybeam, but I heal up. R2D2 is also hurt by a Driftoon's Aftermath, and have to run to heal. Unfortunately, it happens again. I also switch Pumper right into Driftloon's Payback. R2D2 and Claudius get injured by damage from the move Curse. Finally, I make it to Fantina.

I quickly initiate battle against her. I lead with R2D2 against Duskull. It is defeated by two Wing Attacks, but uses Future Sight. The next opponent is Haunter, and R2D2 stays in. Haunter tries to use Hypnosis, but misses. R2D2 takes the Future Sight attack, but it doesn't do much damage. My Pokémon uses Wing Attack, weakening Haunter. It's defeated by the same attack next turn. The final opponent is Mismagius. The opponent uses Confuse Ray, but R2D2 fights back with Wing Attack. R2D2 is wounded by Psybeam, but wounds the foe with Wing Attack. I then decide to heal. However, R2D2 is hit by Psybeam twice, and then hits itself in confusion. It also takes another hit from Magical Leaf, the entire ordeal leaving it with three HP.

I heal again and R2D2 is hit by Psybeam. R2D2 is weakened by a second it, but the opponent is almost gone. Both Fantina and I heal with Super Potions. Mismagius uses Psybeam and Wing Attack. R2D2 is hit by Confuse Ray, but sees through the confusion. It promptly uses

hit by Confuse Ray, but it doesn't work Wing Attack to defeat the foe. R2D2 acquires Aerial Ace, and the third Badge is mine. Claudius also acquires Shadow Claw from the spoils.

But before I can actually leave the city, there is a battle against Barry. I lead with Pumper against his Staravia. Pumper quickly defeats the foe with Shock Wave. The next opponent is Buizel, and it is also defeated by Pumper's Shock Wave. Artisan goes up against Grotle, because R2D2 is slightly overleveled. Artisan uses Quick Attack, but Grotle uses Withdraw. The opponent also uses Razor Leaf, but it doesn't do much damage. Regardless, it's eventually defeated. The final opponent is Ponyta, but it doesn't stand a chance against Claudius and Bubblebeam.

At the battle's end, I enter Route 209. I grab the good Rod (and remember I never grabbed the old one). I try to level up Pumper against a wild Roselia, but accidentally get it defeated when it gets locked into Uproar against Mega Drain. I also decide to head to the Pokémon Tower a bit later, after getting Defog. After that, it's time to stop.

Session endpoint: Route 209, in front of the Pokémon Tower

Current party:

Pumper (Rotom): lv. 29

Night (Bidoof): lv. 5

Artisan (Leafeon): lv. 27

Claudius (Prinplup): lv. 29

R2D2 (Staravia): lv. 29

Nickname explanation:

Day = Pokémon was caught at day (counterpart to Night)

Artisan = Two things for this one; one was that I was at the festival recently celebrating the fall harvest and local goods. One of the things I found there was a metal painting with all the evolutions of Eevee. Needless to say, I bought it. The other explanation is that Grass Pokémon always remind me of artisans (think, Erika and her flower arranging, or Grass Pokémon seen helping people in the garden)

Steam = I was looking at games on the digital PC gaming service Steam at the time. So the Pokémon is named after that service.

**Day Four (October 4, 2017)**

**9:11 AM-12:11 PM**

I start at morning. R2D2 learns Steel Wing as I enter Solaceon. I catch a Magikarp for the city's newspaper project, because I need a Heart Scale for later. The male Magikarp is level 20 and named Sweep. I also got the Day Care checker, but I'm just going to use that to set up a separate run once this one is done. With that, I enter the Solaceon Ruins. I obtain Defog and get a little lost, but I find my way out. I capture another Staravia to teach it Defog. The Staravia is female, level 19, and named Leia. Leia learns Defog and I enter Pokémon Tower.

Pumper weakened by a Double Battle against two Ponyta and Flame Wheels but is able to heal. Also, Claudius does not learn Fury Attack. After that, I head to Hearthome. Unfortunately, I realize I went the wrong direction and head back I was (trying to go to Veilstone, but accidentally was going to Pastoria). After that, I enter Route 210. While there, Pumper learns Ominous Wind. I quickly head into the café on the route to buy Moomoo Milk the best healing item in the game at this point. The last thing to happen is Artisan learning synthesis before I enter Route 215.

It is raining constantly in game here, which affects battle, but it's nothing I can't handle. Claudius is weakened by a Bronzor, but healed. R2D2 is also injured by a Driftim, but wins.

My next destination is entering Veilstone. I receive Porygon (at lv. 25) and it is named Catharsis. I give Catharsis the Upgrade and head to the Pokémon Center to get ready for trade. I rapidly place Heartgold in my other DS in order to do the trade. After that, I had to a Pokémon Center over there. I trade with myself using Heargold and trade back. Catharsis then evolves into Porygon 2.

I give Catharsis the Mind Plate and then I'm off to train. During training, Catharsis learns Shock Wave. I also use the Versus Seeker to hopefully speed things up. Initially, I have trouble finding trainers, but I'm able to train much faster. Catharsis also learns Signal Beam

Shortly after that, I get done with training and head back to explore the city. I buy Blizzard and Thunder from the shopping mall. Pumper learns Thunder, and I also buy a bunch of Lava Cookies from the basement of the store. With that, I decide to stop here for the day and do the Gym next time.

Session endpoint: In Veilstone, about to enter the Gym

Current party:

Night (Bidoof), lv. 5

Catharsis (Porygon 2), lv. 30

R2D2 (Staravia), lv. 30

Pumper (Rotom), lv. 30

Claudius (Priplup), lv. 30

Artisan (Leafeon), lv. 30

Nickname explanations:

Leia = It was a female Starvia and I already had R2D2, so doing another Star Wars reference seemed natural

Sweep = It was named after a previous run where Gyrados destroyed almost the entire Elite Four with Dragon Dance. That probably won't happen this time though.

Catharsis = Okay, story time. So the catharsis factor has to do with the final evolution, Porygon Z. For several reasons, I can compare this Pokémon to myself. One is that I am physically disabled, but have tested as gifted. The idea is that I traded in my physical abilities for my giftedness. It's kind of the same with Porygon Z, where it trades defense for attack upon evolving. It's also worth noting that Porygon-Z makes sudden, jerky, movements. I find the movements very similar to spasticity, which is part of my physical condition. Lastly, Porygon-Z is implied to be the result of a virus or some programming not working right. It's similar to me, where my condition is the result of some "programming" in the part of my brain that controls movement not working right.

**Day Five (October 5, 2017)**

**1:13 PM-4: 13**

I start at Day and enter Veilstone Gym. I beat the Trainers easily, but need a guide for the gym puzzle. I still have some trouble even with the guide, but finally make it to Maylene. I lead with R2-D2, and go up against Meditite. The opponent uses Fake Out, but is defeated by Aerial Ace next turn Maylene sends out Machoke, and it's injured by Aerial Ace. However it injures R2D2 back with Rock Tomb. Machoke is defeated by Aerial Ace, but still left injured. I switch out to Pumper in order to take on Lucario. Pumper is with Metal Claw, and miss a Thunder. Pumper is hit again, but this time Thunder injures the foe. The same thing happens next turn, with Lucario fainting the second time. This marks the defeat of Maylene and the second half of the game begins.

R2D2 learns Fly, and I head to Route 214. Claudius is destroyed by a Goldeen's Horn Drill and I have to return the city to heal. Artisan is injured by a Wormdam's Bug Bite, but wins using Quick Attack. After that, I find a Magmizer, something that will be important for later

With that, I enter Verity Lakefront. I then head to the hotel to rest before doing battle in the nearby restaurant. Catharsis is defeated by a Buneary's Jump Kick and a Machoke's Low Kick. R2D2 also does not learn Take Down. Claudius is injured by a Pachrisu's Spark and barely wins. Despite all this, I do all the battles I can there.

After that, my next destination is to head down the rest of Route 213. Claudius learns Brine, but Pumper is nearly defeated after thunder misses about six times in a row. Artisan also learns Aerial Ace. After the rather uneventful trip, I enter Pastoria. However, I decide to explore the other places around it. Artisan learns Razor Leaf using the Heart Scale from earlier before heading out of the city.

I skip the Great Marsh because of time constraints and enter Route 212. In this route, it is always raining. Artisan gets injured by an Espeon and Umbreon combo with Confusion and Pursuit. However, he still wins the fight. W2D2 evolves into Staraptor and learns Close Combat.

The Rain stops as I near the Pokémon Mansion. I defeat the Trainers there, then head back to Hearthome. After that, there's a Rival Battle in Pastoria. Staravia defeated by Catharsis's Shock Wave and Catharsis does not learn Recycle. Ponyta is defeated by a Bubblebeam from Claudius. R2D2 defeats Grotle with Fly and Buziel is defeated by Artisan's Razor Leaf.

With that, I decide to stop there before entering the next Gym.

Session endpoint: In front of the Pastoria Gym

Current party:

Catharsis (Porygon 2), lv. 34

R2D2 (Staraptor), lv. 34

Night (Bidoof), lv. 5

Pumper (Rotom), lv. 34

Artisan (Leafeon), lv. 34

Claudius (Priplup), lv. 34

**Day Six (October 6, 2017)**

**6:51 PM-7: 27 PM, 8:17 PM-10: 31 PM**

I started at night and prepare to go into the Gym. Unfortunately, Catharsis nearly dies to a Wishcash's critical hit Magnitude. It gets injured by the same move twice, but manages to win. Pumper is also nearly killed by Water Pulse as Thunder misses twice. After all this, there is the battle against Wake. Gyrados is defeated by Thunder. However, Floatzel uses Ice Fang, wounding Artisan. The foe gets wounded by Razor Leaf. I heal up, and take another hit. Artisan is injured by another strike, but defeat the opponent with Razor Leaf. Wake's last Pokémon is Quagsire. I heal, and get hit by Rock Tomb. Artisan secures the win with Razor Leaf.

With that, I head off to the Lake to take on Team Galactic. However, I actually realize I can't, and instead beat up a Grunt that I'm chasing (and wonder about the absurdity of it all). Cynthia gives me the Secret Potion, and there's a hilarious conversation between her and Barry. I then fly to Solaceon, switching out Night for Leia. After that I get the errand from Cynthia, and gladly begin it.

During the errand, Artisan does not learn Magical Leaf. Claudius gets injured by a Girafarig's Psybeam twice, but heals. Pumper gets injured by a Gyrados's Aqua Tail, but heals. R2D2 defeated by a Raichu's Thunderbolt. Claudius evolves into Empoleon, but does not learn Aqua Jet. Pumper also does not learn Substitute. Catharsis is injured by a Noctowl's Take Down and Confusion. Despite all these troubles, I enter Celestic. Night comes back to the party, and I decide to buy a few Ultra Balls for a catch later.

Now is the battle versus Cyrus. I lead with Artisan after he leads with Sneasel. Rapidly, I switch to Catharsis. Sneasel uses Screech twice, but Catharsis hits it with Signal Beam. Now, my opponent is confused. The foe hits itself in confusion, and defeated by a Signal Beam. Golbat comes in against Pumper, but Thunder destroys Golbat. Cyrus puts in Murkrow against Catharsis. Murkrow uses Drill Peck, but is hit by Shock Wave. Catharsis is injured by another Drill Peck, but wins the fight with Shock Wave. After that I receive HM03, Surf. Claudius quickly learns the move.

I decide to head near Fuego Ironworks, but not inside, to catch my final Pokémon. I will not use this Pokémon until after iron Island, due to needing five Pokémon in order to complete the latter. With that, I head to Fuego Ironworks. I catch a male Magmar. He is level 28 and named Furnace. After that, I entered the inside to defeat the Trainers. I get a little lost in Fuego Ironworks, but manage to defeat some of the trainers. After that, I head to the route south of Sandgem for some more training.

There, Pumper is defeated by a critical Water Pulse after Thunder missing twice. R2D2 is injured by a Medicham's Brick Break. After that, I fly to Jublife to take on routes there. Once the uneventful journey ends, I enter Canclave. Almost immediately, there's a battle against Barry. Pumper goes against Starapator who is defeated by Thunder. R2D2 is against Torterra, and the foe is defeated by Fly. Rapidash is defeated by Claudius's Surf. Heracross suffers defeat from R2D2's Fly. Floatzel falls to Razor Leaf. Once the battle is complete, I decide it's time to stop.

Current party:

Night (Bidoof), lv. 5

Pumper (Rotom), lv. 38

R2D2 (Staraptor), lv. 38

Artisan (Leafeon), lv. 38

Claudius (Empoleon), lv. 38

Catharsis (Porygon 2), lv. 38

Session endpoint: On the bridge at Canclave

Nickname explanation

Furnace = Fuego Ironworks is known for effectively being a giant furnace, and Magmar can only be found outside there. Therefore, it's named after that.

**Day Seven (October 7, 2017)**

**9:06 AM-12: 06 PM**

Today, I started at morning. I put Night in the box for Iron Island and head there. After that, I receive HM 04 and meet Riley. Before teaming up with him, I do a few Trainer battles by myself first. Artisan gets injured by a Raichu's Thunderbolt, but is healed twice. I have a bit of trouble with the other Trainers, but eventually make it to Riley. During this time, Claudius does not learn Whirlpool. Catharsis is also destroyed by a Graveler's critical Self-destruct. Catharsis is then nearly defeated by a Machop and Machoke, but wins the fight. A Medicham defeated by its own High Jump Kick after aiming for Catharsis. Catharsis eventually learns Discharge.

Catharsis then takes out most of the opponents Pokémon, before finally being defeated by a Staraptor's Close Combat. Pumper is also nearly defeated by a Hippotatas's Crunch. Pumper is weakened by a Stunky, but wins the fight. I receive the Riolu Egg, but won't hatch it now.

I probably will hatch it at the end, for transferring purposes.

After that, I go to pick up Furnace and do some training. I first evolve it using trading with myself. Furnace evolves into Magmortor. After that, I go to train with the Versus Seeker. Furnance also learns Thunderbolt. I start Training, but have a bit of trouble because one of the Trainers I'm training on has a Water Type. I decide to possibly train somewhere else.

I also stop momentarily when I realize my Internet has somehow granted me extra carryover data (a glitch, but all the better).

Regardless, Furnace learns Lava Plume. Furnace is given the Wise Glasses during training. Furnace manages to do fairly well and stay in the same area. I finish training and head back to Canclave. After that, I quickly start the Gym. I easily defeat all the Trainers and make it Byron, but decide to head back out and heal. Therefore, I will fight him next time

Session endpoint: right before Byron in the sixth Gym

Current party:

Claudius (Empoleon), lv. 40

Artisan (Leafeon), lv. 40

Furnace (Magmortar), lv. 40

Pumper (Rotom), lv. 40

Catharsis (Porygon 2), lv. 40

R2D2 (Staraptor), lv. 40

**Day Eight (October 8, 2017)**

**5:07 PM-6:37, 8:06 PM-9:36 PM**

Today, I started at day. My first task is to battle against Byron. He sends out Magneton, but accidentally send out Claudius. I reset, and send out Furnace instead. The opponent is rapidly defeated by Lava Plume. Byron sends out Steelix, so I used Claudius defeat it with Surf.

use Claudius to defeat it with Surf. R2D2 is sent in against Bastiodon. After that, the opponent is rapidly defeated with Close Combat. After that, I gain the next Badge, and only a quarter of the game is left.

With that, I head off to Lake Valor. There, I battle against Saturn. Saturn sends out Golbat, but I lead with Artisan. However, I rapidly switch out to Pumper. Golbat misses a Toxic, but manages to hit with a Supersonic. This causes Pumper to hit itself. Pumper has to heal next turn, having also been battling the grunts earlier. Pumper gets hit by Bite twice and hits itself. In confusion. Therefore, I have to heal again. Golbat misses a Toxic, and injured with Bite and confusion. It hits with Bite and Toxic, but Pumper finally defeat the opponent with Thunder. Bronzor goes up against Furnace. The foe is defeated with Lava Plume. I send out Catharsis against Toxicroak. Poison Jab does damage, but this doesn't defeat Catharsis.

Catharsis takes out Toxicroak with Psybeam.

After that I head to Lake Verity. Artisan is nearly defeated by a Golbat there, but heals. After that, there is the battle against Mars. Golbat is against Claudius. Supersonic confuses Claudius, but he sees through it and uses Surf. Golbat otherwise uses Air Cutter, which doesn't do much damage. The foe is rapidly defeated by Surf. The next battle is Furnace and Bronzor. The opponent is rapidly defeated by Lava Plume. The final battle is Artisan and Purugly. Fake Out prevents Artisan from counterattacking. Purugly uses Slash, but hits back with Razor Leaf. Artisan is injured by Slash, but I heal. Artisan is hit with Hypnosis, but I heal. Artisan is again hit by Slash. Artisan is then hit by Hypnosis, and I heal again. The battle continues on like this for several times, including healing a lot. Eventually, I finally defeat it after being nearly defeated myself. With that I head to Mount Coronet to progress.

There, Artisan learns Strength. I quickly enter Route 216. The weather in the game is always hailing. R2-D2 is injured by a Porygon's 2's Psybeam, but still wins the fight. Artisan is injured by a Sudowoodo, but heals and wins the fight. Claudius is injured by a Rapidash, but still wins the fight. However, he heals after. Catharsis gets injured at some point, but I still heal. However, I note that I'm running low on healing items, and will most likely restock either at or after the next town. For now, I rest at the Snowbound Lodge.

My next step is to enter Route 217. Furnace is injured by an Electabuzz's Thunderbolt. Furnace is injured by a Magmar, but is healed. Pumper is defeated by a Snover's Wood Hammer, but is revived after the battle. Artisan is injured by a Snorunt, but is healed. Through all the turmoil, Claudius learns Rock Climb. Artisan also learns Rock Smash, and furnace Flamethrower. With that, enter Snowpoint.

I decide use a map for the Gym. Unfortunately, I still misread my directions I get lost with the map. Pumper and Catharsis are injured by a Sneasel's Faint Attack. Finally, I make my way to the Gym Leader. After that, there's the battle against Candice. Claudius goes up against Piloswine, but is defeated by Surf. Furnace goes up against Abomasnow.

The foe is instantly defeated by Flamethrower. Claudius goes against Frosslass. Claudius uses Metal Claw and Frosslass Double Team. The foe is injured by Shadow Claw after retaliating with Shadow Ball. The enemy heals and gets hit again. I am forced to heal as Claudius's Shadow Claw misses. Frosslass is defeated by one more Shadow Claw. After I get the badge, I go shopping for Hyper Potions. I also head back to get a few things, specifically Ice Beam and Shadow Ball. After this, Pumper learns Shadow Ball. Finally, I head back to Lake Acuity and decide to stop there.

Session endpoint: At Lake Acuity, after having viewed the cutscene there

Current party:

Catharsis (Porygon 2), lv. 42

R2D2 (Staraptor), lv. 42

Pumper (Rotom), lv. 42

Artisan (Leafeon), lv. 42

Furnace (Magmortar), lv. 44

Claudius (Empoleon), lv. 43

**Day Nine (October 9, 2017)**

**10: 18 AM-11: 18 AM, 7:45-9:45 PM**

Today, I started at day. Unfortunately, I flew around randomly until I finally figured out where I needed to go. For some reason, I thought I had to go to the warehouse, and couldn't get in. The actual place I needed to go was the HQ, the building beside the warehouse.

I finally look at the guide after forgetting how to trigger the event to open the warehouse (and consequently running around lost). Despite all this, I enter the Hideout. Catharsis is weakened by a Golbat, but is healed. R2D2 also learns Return. I get the Dubious Disc but I will use it little later. I also get the Galactic key but still decide to explore. It isn't long before I leave there to get to Veilstone. Before that, I trade with myself to evolve Pokémon. Catharsis evolves into Porygon-Z.

With that, I enter the Veilstone building. Pumper is nearly defeated by a Golbat, but heals up. Pumper also does not learn Charge. I defeat one of the Trainers, then decide to take a break.

I continue later that night, going through the building. The next thing I do is watch Cyrus's speech. How he the only 27 again? Also, I like him with Cynthia, even if he's evil. At would be interesting if he was benevolent, but anyway… After my musings, Artisan does not learn Giga Drain. It seems there is a battle against Cyrus.

He sends out Sneasel and I lead with Catharsis. Catharsis is hit by Ice Punch, but hits the opponent with Signal Beam. Catharsis is injured by Slash, but is able to defeat the opponent Signal Beam. B send out Pumper against Crobat. Pumper is hit by Supersonic, confusion, and Bite. However, Pumper defeats it with Thunder anyway. I send in Furnace against Honchkrow. Furnace weakens the foe with Thunderbolt, but is weakened by Drill Peck. I still manage to win, though. After the fight, I get the Master Ball. I will use it later. It's worth noting that I'm not pursuing any of the postgame legendaries due to them being a waste of time and resources on this run. This also includes anything else in the postgame.

Unfortunate, there's a battle against Saturn that I completely forgot about. A lead with Catharsis, but it's injured. My opponent is Golbat. The foe uses Air Cutter twice, but is defeated. Saturn sends in Toxicroak, but it's defeated by Psybeam. I send an injured Furnace against Bronzor. The foe is rapidly defeated with Flamethrower.

After everything, I get out of the hideout and head for Mt. Coronet again. Thankfully, I have a map this time. My next destination is the outside of Mt. Coronet. I really like the music here, but I cannot dawdle. R2D2 is nearly killed by a Golbat, but healed. Catharsis does not learn Lock On. With that, I quickly enter Spear Pillar.

There is a battle against Mars and Jupiter and I team up with Barry. Two Bronzor go against Pumper and Munchlax. I use Thunder against one, and it's paralyzed. They set up Reflect and Light Screen. Shadow Ball and Extrasensory clash twice. Pumper is injured by another Extrasensory before defeating the foe. Golbat is sent out and Pumper is defeated by Bite. I send in Furnace, and defeat the other Bronzor with Flamethrower. Skunktank is sent out and a Golbat is defeated by Thunderbolt. Purugly appears next. However, it is defeated by Barry's Staraptor's Close Combat. Furnace injures and burns Skuntank with Flamethrower. The foe is then defeated by Staraptor's Aerial Ace. Another Golbat is sent out, but it's defeated by Furnace's Thunderbolt. I Watch Giratina cutsence, and head into Distortion World

What awaits me is a battle against Cyrus. He sends out Houndoom against R2D2. However, Houndoom is defeated by critical Close Combat. Weavile is next, and R2D2 is defeated by Ice Punch. I send in Furnace. Furnace is nearly defeated by a critical Night Slash, but defeats the foe with Flamethrower. Gyrados is against Pumper. Pumper is weakened by Waterfall, but defeats the foe with Thunder. Honchkrow goes against Catharsis. Discharge and Drill Peck weakens both Pokémon. The foe defeated by Catharsis's Discharge. Finally, Claudius is up against Crobat. Confuse Ray goes against Surf. The enemy also uses Air Slash, but it doesn't do much damage. Crobat is eventually defeated by Surf.

After that, I encounter Giratina. It is level 47, and typically difficult to catch. However, I just use the Master Ball for the sake of time. The item guarantees that I catch Giratina. It's named Satin. After the capture, I leave the Distortion World. I then enter sendoff Spring, but don't do anything there. Instead I head back to Sandgem, then head to Pastoria on the path to Sunnyshore. Finally, I decide to stop there.

Session endpoint: Facing the path to Sunnyshore

Current team:

R2D2 (Staraptor), lv. 45

Claudius (Empoleon), lv. 44

Pumper (Rotom), lv. 44

Catharsis (Porygon-Z), lv. 45

Furnace (Magmortar), lv. 46

Artisan (Leafeon), lv. 45

Nickname explanation:

Satin = Giratina is basically the Pokémon equivalent of the devil, but good luck getting the devil's name through a nickname filter…

**Day 10 (October 10, 2017)**

**3:00 PM-4:30 PM, 5:30 PM-6:00 PM, 7:30 PM-8:00 PM, 11:05-11:35 PM**

Today, I started at day. I quickly enter Route 222. Pumper is injured by a Gyrados's Aqua Tail, but heals. Claudius is also injured by a Gyrados, but healed. Eventually, I enter Sunnyshore and waste no time entering the Gym. Trtisan is injured by a Pachrisu, but is healed. Artisan is injured by an Electabuzz, but is healed. Pumper is injured by a Luxio's Crunch, but wins the fight. Pumper is injured by an Electabuzz, but is healed. Eventually, my next battle is against Volker.

Jolteon and Artisan fight each other. Charge Beam goes against Razor Leaf. The battle continues like this, including opponent healing. Artisan almost dies to a Charge Beam, but heals. Artisan takes a Charge Beam, but defeats the opponent. Volkner sends out Raichu. Artisan uses a Razor Leaf, but is defeated by critical Signal Beam. I sent out Pumper. Raichu uses Charge Beam twice, but doesn't do much damage. Raichu is defeated by Shadow Ball striking twice.

Luxray fights against Catharsis. Catharsis uses Signal Beam, but nearly defeated by a critical Thunder Fang. I heal, but Catharsis is hit by an Ice Fang. Catharsis uses Signal Beam again, but injured by Thunder Fang. I heal, but Catharsis is hit by Crunch. Catharsis is injured again by Thunder Fang, but heal. Unfortunately, the opponent heals as well. What happens is many turns of Signal Beam, Thunder Fang, and more healing. Eventually, Catharsis is hit by Ice Fang. Catharsis uses Signal Beam twice, but injured by Thunder Fang. Catharsis is also hit by Crunch, but finally defeats the foe with Signal Beam.

Volkner then sends out Electivire. Catharsis is nearly defeated by Thunder Punch, but hits back with Signal Beam. I heal, and the foe hurts itself in confusion. Catharsis is eventually defeated by a critical Thunder Punch. I then send out Furnace. Furnace is injured by Thunder Punch, but defeat the foe with Flamethrower. I receive HM07 (Waterfall) and stock up on items. I also grab Day out of the box because there aren't enough spots left on a regular team to teach Waterfall, without possibly losing an HM (or something else noteworthy).

With that, I enter Route 223. I battle a few of the Trainers there, but decide to take a break so I can get ready for another event tonight. I should complete the time later though. During this time, day turns to night. Eventually, I return and complete the water routes. However, pumper gets injured by a Golduck. I use Waterfall, then take Furnace out of the box.

My next step is to enter Victory Road. Furnace gets injured by a Magnezone, but heals and wins the fight. Unfortunately, I mess up a lot on strength puzzles Catharsis is defeated by a Machamp's Cross Chop, but is revived. Claudius does not learn Mist. After a while, I start again after another break. Catharsis is defeated by a Rhydon's Hammer Arm, but revived. I get a bit worried when I find a Waterfall without the HM, but find a way around it. Catharsis is injured by a Rapidash's Fire Blast, but wins the fight. Unfortunately, I realize I need Waterfall after all. Therefore I decide to sacrifice Metal Claw because it is weak and easy to get back. I also decide to stop after that.

Current endpoint: In Victory Road, surfing on the water.

Current party:

Catharsis (Porygon-Z), lv. 48

Furnace (Magmortar), lv. 48

Artisan (Leafeon), lv. 48

Claudius (Empoleon), lv. 48

Pumper (Rotom), lv. 48

R2D2 (Staraptor), lv. 48

**Day 11 (October 11, 2017)**

**8:02 PM-11:02 PM**

I start at night and continue through Victory Road. There, catharsis learns ice beam. Catharsis is also taken down by a Porygon Z's Thunder, but revived. Pumper learns Dark Pulse. Finally, I reach the League and heal. I do some preparations by switching around moves. Claudius learns Blizzard and Flash Cannon, Artisan learns X-Scissor and Toxic, and Furnace learns Torment. Finally, I return to the League take on Barry.

Pumper goes against Staraptor. Staraptor uses Aerial Ace, but defeated by Thunder. Catharsis is up against Torterra. Torterra is defeated by a single Ice Beam from Catharsis. R2D2 goes up against Heracross, and the foe is defeated by Fly. Artisan is against Floatzel. Artisan is nearly defeated by two Ice Fangs, but defeat the foe with Razor Leafs. Claudius and Rapidash head in to fight. Claudius is hit by a critical Fire Blast, but defeats the foe with Surf. R2D2 fights against Snorlax. Snorlax is defeated by two Close Combats, after R2D2 gets hit by Body Slam. With that, I take the time to buy healing items, and make final preparations. I also get a guide up so I can know the teams of the opposing trainers. After all that, I step into the battles of the League.

The first matter of business is the battle against Aaron. He sends out Yamega against Furnace. Yamega uses Air Slash, but defeated by Flamethrower. Aaron then sends out Vespiquen. Furnace nearly defeats the foe with Flamethrower, but the foe uses Defend Order.

Aaron heals, and I attack again. This time, Vespiquen is defeated immediately. The next fight is Heracross versus R2D2. Hercross tries to use Stone Edge, but defeated by Fly. R2D2 does not learn Brave Bird. Next, it's Claudius against Drapion. Flash Cannon and Surf go against X-Scissor. Aaron and I heal in between. The enemy eventually defeated by Surf, but Claudius's injured. Aaron responds by sending out Scizor. However, it is rapidly defeated by Flamethrower.

The battle is over, but there is still more to go. There's the battle against Bertha. I send out Artisan against Wishcash. Wishcash is immediately defeated by Razor Leaf. Catharsis is against Gliscor. Catharsis is weakened by Earthquake, but I defeat it with Ice Beam. Artisan fights Hippowdon. There's an exchange of Razor Leaf and Stone Edge. The opponent then uses Yawn. Artisan is weakened by Stone Edge, but foe is also weakened by Razor Leaf.

After that, both heal. Artisan is weakened by Yawn and Stone Edge. Artisan heals and is hit by Stone Edge again. I finally defeat the foe with Razor Leaf. Bertha then sends out Golem. Golem is weakened by Razor Leaf, but nearly defeats me with Fire Punch. Artisan is hit by Fire Punch again and weakened, but defeats the foe with Razor Leaf. I send in Claudius against Rhyperior. Surf defeats the foe in one hit.

I move onto the third fight, the battle against Flint. Houndoom and R2D2 start off.

Houndoom is instantly defeated by Close Combat. Flint sends out Infernape against Furnace. Furnace nearly defeated by Earthquake, but launches Confuse Ray. I heal, and the foe hurts itself. The foe continues to hurt itself as I hit it with Thunderbolt. Infernape eventually defeated by hitting itself and Thunderbolt.

Flint sends out Flareon against Claudius. Claudius injured by Overheat, but injures the foe with Surf. I heal, as the foe uses Overheat again. The foe then uses Will-O-Wisp, but defeated by Surf. I sent out Furnace against Magmortar. The foe uses Thunderbolt while Furnace uses Confuse Ray. Magmortar hurts itself in confusion while I use Thunderbolt. After a while, both teams are using Thunderbolt. Furnace is weakened by Thunderbolt again, but uses Confuse Ray. I heal, and foe hits itself. The foe then is hit by Thunderbolt, but heals. From there, it's the same rhythm as before. Magmortar is eventually defeated by Confuse Ray and Thunderbolt. Claudius is now against Rapidash. I heal, but I Claudius is now weakened by Flare Blitz. I promptly switch to Furnace. The foe uses Bounce, but is hit by Confuse Ray. Rapidash hits itself in confusion, and is nearly defeated by Thunderbolt. Rapidash tries to use Bounce one last time, but hits itself and ends the match.

The fourth battle is against Lucian. Claudius squares off against Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime uses Reflect and Claudius Shadow Claw. I switch to Surf, but foe uses Light Screen. Claudius's hit by Thunderbolt and I switch out to Pumper. Unfortunately, Pumper is defeated by a critical Psychic, as Reflect wears off. I send in Catharsis, and the foe uses Reflect again. Light Screen then wears off. The foe weakens Catharsis with Psychic, but is defeated by Signal Beam.

The next match is R2D2 and Gallade. R2D2 weakens foe with Fly, but nearly defeated by Stone Edge. I heal, but R2D2 is defeated by a critical Psycho Cut. At this time, Reflect wears off. I send in Artisan, but only to heal the others. Artisan is quickly defeated by Psycho Cut, but other attackers are healed. With that, I send R2D2 back into battle. Gallade is finally defeated by Fly.

Alakazam fights Pumper, but the latter is defeated by Psychic, furnace is sent out and Weakened by Psychic, but use Confuse Ray. Unfortunately, Furnace is still defeated by Psychic. I send in R2D2. R2D2 barely survives a Focus Blast with one HP, and retaliates with Return. The foe heals, and R2D2 attacks again. I heal Claudius, and Focus Blast misses. However, Alakazam defeats R2D2 with Energy Ball. I send in Claudius, but defeated by Focus Blast. Therefore, I send in an injured Catharsis. After that I start reviving people. The foe runs out of Focus Blasts. Eventually I heal the entire team as the foe starts to slowly run out of moves. Soon, Alakazam can no longer attack, and can only use Recover. It's quickly defeated by Claudius's Shadow Claw.

Before long, the battle is Bronzong and Furnace. Bronzong is easily defeated by Flamethrower. The final battle is Claudius and Espeon. Espeon uses Psychic, but doesn't do much damage. The foe eventually heals, but is taken down with Shadow Claw.

The last fight in the game is the battle against Cynthia. I lead with Claudius against Spiritomb. Claudius uses Surf and Spiritomb Shadow Ball, although the latter doesn't do much damage. Spiritomb uses Dark Pulse, and heals too. The foe is eventually defeated, but Surf is nearly gone. Cynthia sends in Garchomp against R2D2. My strategy is to use Intimidate to lower attack to the point where Garchomp can't do damage. Afterward, I'll strike with Ice Beam and Blizzard.

R2D2 gets weakened by Dragon Rush, and foe gets hit by Return. However, Cynthia switches to Lucario, with the latter taking a Return. R2D2 is quickly defeated by Extremespeed. I send in Furnace, but I am defeated by Stone Edge. I tried to send in Artisan, but am defeated by Aura Sphere. I use Catharsis to resurrect Furnace, and send it in. With this, I decide to waste Stone Edge's Power Points. Lucario gets burned along the way. Lucario eventually succumbs to the burn, using Aura Sphere

Cynthia sends out Milotic, and I start reviving people. My entire team is healed again, as Milotic can't do anything against Claudius. Cynthia switches out Milotic for Togekiss, and I switch to Pumper. Pumper injured by Water Pulse, but Milotic hit by Thunder. Pumper is defeated by Water Pulse, but I revive it. I have to do that again and again as Thunder misses. Pumper eventually defeats the foe with Thunder.

After that, I repeat the situation with Milotic and Claudius. There's a lot of healing and attacking, but Claudius eventually defeats Milotic with Shadow Claw. With that, I use the R2D2 strategy against Garchomp. Garchomp is hit by R2D2's Return after Dragon Rush. R2D2 is defeated by Flamethrower. I continue to use my strategy while reviving others. R2D2 eventually starts being able to hit back with Return I am finally able to defeat it with Catharsis and Ice Beam, although it takes a critical Flamethrower. The final match is Roserade and Furnace. Roserade uses Toxic and Sludge Bomb, but defeated by Flamethrower.

With the League defeated, it's time to celebrate!

**Final time: 27: 37**

**Final Team:**

**Claudius (Empoleon) Quick Claw**

**Lv. 50**

**-Shadow Claw**

**-Surf**

**-Blizzard**

**-Flash Cannon**

**Pumper (Rotom) Dread Plate**

**Lv. 49**

**-Shadow Ball**

**-Confuse Ray**

**-Dark Pulse**

**-Thunder**

**Furnace (Magmortar) Wise Glasses**

**Lv. 52**

**-Torment**

**-Thunderbolt**

**-Confuse Ray**

**-Flamethrower**

**R2D2 (Staraptor) no item**

**lv. 50**

**-Close Combat**

**-Fly**

**-Return**

**-Steel Wing**

**Catharsis (Porygon-Z) Mind Plate**

**lv. 50**

**-Psybeam**

**-Discharge**

**-Ice Beam**

**-Signal Beam**

**Artisan (Leafeon) no item**

**lv. 49**

**-Aerial Ace**

**-Razor Leaf**

**-X-Scissor**

**-Toxic**

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**-So this chapter took noticeably longer to edit and upload the other ones. While part of that is due to a week spent traveling in the middle of writing it, there are a variety of other reasons. One of which is that this chapter was actually never meant to be posted anywhere at all. I was originally just going to make a one-shot companion story based on the notes I'd written down, and just leave them without posting and editing. They would then fade into obscurity after the companion story had been written, and I would simply move on.**

**However, this was changed for a few reasons. One reason is that I realized I had put in a lot of time and effort into the notes and the challenge that went with them, and wanted my results to be seen somewhere. I also realize that due to the length in the amount of content that was in the notes, the accompanying story would just be a bunch of the highlights, and probably wouldn't even include all them. Therefore, I thought it would be a good idea to post the notes somewhere, both for my own personal use and for anyone that wanted to the run in full. The companion story would also directly reference the original notes after the initial story had completed.**

**Unfortunately, I quickly realized that a long time to make some hastily assembled notes into something that could be properly read. Even then, it came out looking more like a blog post that a traditional chapter. Therefore, it was put into Scrapbook as one of the Pokémon challenge runs. One of the final issue was the length of the edited notes (about twice as long a traditional chapter in my typical works, at around 9000 words). Splitting them up was considered, yet there wasn't enough content and proper stopping points in the days in order to make that feasible. So they were all just ported at once as an unusually long chapter.**

**As for the team that was used throughout the chapter, as of this writing, they still remain in Pokémon Platinum. There's a bit more I want to do with them (namely, trying some things out in the side game Pokémon Battle Revolution). Once that is complete, the team will be transferred and accessible to later games, but will most likely remain in whatever transfer area there is for safekeeping. However, it's currently not known when all this will occur.**


	85. Land of the Ultra Sun: Part 1

**Welcome back to another challenge in Scrapbook! This is the last, and the end of this one also signals the end of the original blog itself. The rules for this challenge are simple. I could pick any game I wanted, but I had to play the game start to finish log everything on the blog. In addition, I had to get as close to 100% as possible. Around the time I thought of this, Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were coming out for the Nintendo 3DS. There was a lot of interest in these games, so I got them as soon as they released. With all the interest and the games being brand-new, I decided to put them in the blog.**

**I play through the game very thoroughly, almost completely 100%. As a result, there are massive spoilers for the entirety of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. However, these games are notable in that they differed quite significantly from their predecessors, Sun and Moon, despite taking place in the same region. I thought it would also be interesting to note as many differences as I could, and these differences appear throughout the entirety of both sets of games. As a result, there are also massive spoilers for Pokémon Sun and Moon. This challenge also assumes that the reader has either played the Alola games or knows about the mechanics, because it was written for people that did. It's not as much as the previous challenge, though, so there's a bit more explanation.**

**Lastly, this challenge differs because of its sheer length. It was around 40,000 words by the time it was finished, which was much too long to put in a single chapter. Therefore, I split the challenge up into six parts. These parts are around the length of a typical chapter for me (4000 to 6000 words), but they're still longer than what has been typically seen in this story. **

**Other than that, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

**Without further ado, let the final challenge begin!**

* * *

**Pokémon Ultra Sun Log**

**Day One (November 17, 2017)**

I started the game at night. It seems the intro cut scene hasn't changed much… I am using the black haired female and my actual name. It appears the Ultra Recon Squad is with Aether this time. Interesting… It also appears the intro screens are bit more dynamic… It seems the game is also locked into day until a certain point… I got the special Rockruff, although I won't be able to actually pick it up until later… It's unknown if I will use it long-term…

Seems like we have to head Iki Town… Off I go… And I get attacked by a Yugoos. Luckily, the starters save us before we are hurt… I pick Rowlet because the only one I haven't used. It's male, so I name it Jackson. Jackson currently has Tackle, Growl, and Leafage. I beat up a few things before heading to the town.

Hau appears, choosing the starter weak to mine, and predictably gets beaten up with Leafage… Lillie's intro scene is very much the same, but I actually get to fight a Spearow… Thankfully, it doesn't use Peck… I watch a tutorial, then catch a female Buneary named Petal. I will train Petal while catching everything else in the route, but that will be for later.

**Day Two (November 18, 2017)**

Istarted early in the morning during a car ride to a training Petal, and eventually made my way to the Iki Town Festival.I also beat up a couple Trainers, with Jackson learning Peck and Petal learning to meet the Ultra Recon Squad… These guys are so interesting that I almost wish they were the main protagonists instead… Or at least, the concept of them is… Or perhaps they are evil, and one of them defects from the cause… Too bad that doesn't happen either… Even though they do have someone who questions their actions, the person just goes along with it…

Anyway, rant aside, the Iki Festival goes mostly the same as before, although it is a bit hard to take seriously with the Alolan Exeggutor in the background… Hau challenges me again with the same Pokémon as before. Popplio injures Petal with Water Gun, but other than that, I have no problems. I decide to capture all the Pokémon in the area, capture every single one that's available at day. The only ones I have not captured are the ones at night, and Happiny.

I'm going to wait for the ones that night. For Happiny, I will wait for an Adrenaline Orb, since Pokémon that use the SOS mechanic don't spawn infinitely without it anymore. It's also worth noting that I run low on Poké Balls, so catching more creatures will have to wait until I get to a Center I do manage to catch an Inkay, naming her Jenny.

Jenny starts to train, and it becomes night. Jenny finishes training and learns Foul Play.I got the Rotom Dex, and that's mostly the same. It's one of my favorite features in this Generation, so I will be using it as much as possible. There's also a bit on the history of Alola… I would've liked to see more of that time, but I'm glad there is something… Finally got to the Center, and the dialogue there has changed significantly when Pokémon are healed… I wonder why that is…

I also finally get Rockruff and some extra Poké Balls. I will be evolving Rockruff for completion, but other than that, I won't be using it. Festival Plaza is also available now, but I may not be using it in this play through. I already have it fully leveled up in Sun, and using it too much makes the game far too easy. I do the basic missions there though, and also use Game Sync. With that, I can get a free Master Ball. I am apparently having issues logging in. The password works on other sections that use it, so I will try again in the next few days. I eventually get the creatures of the night, although it takes a while. I decide to take a break for now, but I will return tomorrow.

**Day Three (November 20, 2017)**

I am starting late tonight, due to spending most my time in a writing event. Luckily, I don't have to do any more for it now. In the interim, I found out the problem with Festival Plaza was my browser… Thankfully, I have a second one, and was able to connect. Also, Pokébank is live for the newest games in all regions. I probably won't be using it much in this playthrough, but it is still nice to have.

Now, to head to the Trainer school. Also, I get the Experience Share, but it's going off except for emergencies, or if I have to level multiple people at once. I caught a Magnemite. I will be using this thing, but I don't know for how long. It's currently named Conduct, and doesn't need any extra training. I catch the other Pokémon around here, Meowth, Zoura and Grimer. It's also worth noting that Meowth is annoying... It does a lot of damage, is fast enough to prevent me from fleeing, and appears more often than the other Pokémon. Conduct is very good here. It's typing allows it to do a lot of damage and not get hit much in return. An opposing Ekans used Intimidate against Jenny… Beatdown incoming…

The teacher at the end of this has a starter that mine is weak against. It's a tough fight, with Jenny at first appearing to lead. All of a sudden, Litten burns her, and she can't do enough damage take it out. It has also activated Blaze by now. I tried sending Petal but she gets burned too. Conduct gets destroyed, and Jackson barely survives the attack for the win.

cue the mandatory Poke Finder tutorial… Totally won't be using this feature… And customization is shown here… It doesn't seem to have changed much, so I probably won't use it this run.

I caught the remaining Pokémon Abra, Mime Jr., and Furfrou. The latter takes forever to find, but I decide to use her. Time will tell whether I use her over Petal. For now I can't help using her because she's a dog and I have a soft spot for Furfrou since one led me to the end of a Nuzlocke. This Pokémon's name is Regina. The Totem Sticker quest begins. I'm not sure if I will fit in this run. While it is easier than the Zygarde Cells last game, the only reward is calling Totem Pokémon to battle… Considering the only special thing is their size, there's not much to gain from the quest…

Now I'm training with Furfrou… Fur Coat makes things easy… Before I know it, it's time to move on… And my first encounter with Team Skull… Glad to see these guys haven't changed… They're one of my favorite villain teams, if only because their motives make sense… Not to mention that when one thinks about it, the entire reason they exist is rather tragic…

Also, Conduct learns Magnet Bomb… Not the best move, but the only Steel type one available for now And Illima challenges me immediately afterward. At least he heals me before then… His Smeargle is quite annoying, doing a lot of damage… At least he goes down quickly, but I have to heal twice… I move on to catch a Drowzee, and an Ekans, but I miss a catch with a Smearagle… Makes sense, those things are always dying on me… I think I will take a break for now.

**Days 4-5 (November 23, 2017, November 26, 2017)**

The beginning of this entry was actually done on November 23, but there was little content there, so I simply merged the two. First order of business is catching the rest of the Pokémon on the route. Luckily, I'm able to do so, and move on. I realize that it might be a good idea to progress a little bit slower through the game than I have been, because I've been missing several items and quests… One in particular involves a ghost at the Trainer School. However, it can only be accessed at night, and that's when I'm currently playing…

I can't seem to active with the quest, though, despite running around on the beach… I decide to move on, clearing the Cemetery. It's largely the same, and I catch every Pokémon there but the day exclusive Drifloon. Of course I will come back later for it. I keep going until I see another beach, and the game throws me into a cutscene. Surely, this is the place to activate the quest… It is, and it isn't, because this is the place where one can do a new minigame called Mantine Surf. Unfortunately, this new minigame cannot be played unless the main challenge of the island is cleared. The quest also cannot be activated until that time.

However, I do manage to defeat some Skull grunts, with Conduct easily destroying their Drowzee with Thundershock. Conduct also learns Light Screen. The Ultra Recon Squad appears here too, but they don't do anything of interest… One suggests just taking the island challenge… I really wish they would… One doesn't learn too much about them even later on in the game…

Also, I just had to watch the ghost event instead… There's a lot of backtracking at that specific time, so I may not go for it myself… And I have to say the rewards are not that great (Wise Glasses and Hyper Potion)… The quest is both interesting and horrifying though… It appears a young girl at the school was killed by a Hypno and a Drifloon some time ago… She doesn't realize she's dead, and continues to protect school out of love… It almost sounds like the anime Another, only without the bizarre curse… And I realize I missed the berry fields… I will have to head back, but now I wait for the day.

I haven't played in a bit, but I do manage to capture Drifloon. I also manage to activate a side quest about finding a lost Pokémon, but I also choose the wrong answer have to chase it across the route… Berry fields work the same as usual, without the battle… Off to go catch some more Pokémon… Have to get Spearow, Growlithe, and Dunsparce yet… I caught a Growlithe (lv. 7, male). I will use it for now, but I am not sure if I will in the long run… I've used that Pokémon several times before, and it learns its best moves very late… For now, it's useful to have a Fire Type. His name is Tiger

Also, the introduction to Roto Loto is here. I wish it wasn't luck based, and that I could choose when to use it… Other than that, it's a definite upgrade… I spend almost an hour looking for a Dunspace, but no luck… I finally catch a Drowzee and put it on the GTS… Maybe some kind soul will trade me one…

It's also worth noting that this is the first time Crabrawler can be found... I decide to pass on it, because I will have plenty of other chances… The first trial's unchanged, and Jenny learns Psywave. Off to the Totem Pokémon… And that first battle was pathetically easy… Gumshoos didn't even attack… Not to mention, I led with Jenny, when Foul Play is so broken at this point… And I think that's enough for now… After this, I will head into the cavern to catch the creatures there…

**Day 6 (November 29, 2017)**

I'm playing the game at night this time. I also got lucky and some kind soul traded me a Dunsparce… Now I can move on… I meet the Ultra Recon Squad, including Zossie, my favorite of the new characters… Also, why does their animation have the greeting in a square? That's so bizarre… Anyway, I pick up two new Pokémon, Diglett and Noibat, although I won't be using either. Crabrawler also joins.

Onto Route 3 I go… I capture Mankey and Hawlucha, but Jackson has trouble with the Mankey and Jenny faints to a Hawlucha's Karate Chop. I can also catch Bagon here, but for the sake of my sanity, I decide to wait until later. Jackson finally learns Razor Leaf, but considering what's coming, it may be too late… I also capture Rufflet, but I probably won't use it. Time to enter the Meadow… The scene here is much the same, but Nebby heads into the cave.

It also seems as though Rotom can give me random powers now... Pretty nifty… I captured a Cottenee with a critical capture (lv. 10 male), fittingly named Lucky. I also replace Jackson with it… He just can't pull his weight anymore, and Fairy is a much better Type than Ghost/Flying… Lucky gets Mega Drain, a very good move. I also proceed into the cave, having the first battle with the Ultra Recon Squad… They have a really weird battle theme… Also a shame they don't really do much… Anyway, the opponent uses a Furfrou, which Lucky defeats it with status moves and Mega Drain. Headbutt is annoying, but it's nothing a potion cannot handle.

There is a Hau battle here and it's really easy… Mega Drain and Fairy Wind destroyed this fight… I might have to box Petal soon… She's not as strong as everyone else… I tried to use her against Pikachu, but had to switch to Tiger… Petal evolves into Lopunny and learns Return. Hopefully she'll be a little more useful now… I also start a bottle sidequest in the Bay… I think that's it for now…

**Day 7 (December 1, 2017)**

This is the first entry in December; playing at day. Also, there's a Trainer that gives Roost here… More useful than the Red Card from before… He's actually pretty difficult, having a Butterfree with the aforementioned move and Silver Wind. Silver Wind is pretty powerful, injuring Tiger, defeating Conduct, and injuring Petal… To make matters worse, the Trainer heals with Roost every time I do damage… I finally managed to beat it with my Z-move, but Regina is also injured… At least I get the TM…

Also, got a scene about how the people in the games pray to a rainbow hoping they will have a safe and fruitful journey… Pretty touching, considering what I'm about to do in real life…

And Hala was beyond easy… Lucky destroyed this battle… Leech Seed and Stun Spore incapacitated the opponent, while Fairy Wind did damage… Even the Z-move only did about half damage to me, because Lucky resisted everything… Honestly, the only issue was Makuhita's Sand Attack lowering accuracy, and Leech Seed did damage on the turns I couldn't attack… Now to get Tauros, access to Mantine Surf, and a few more quests… I start by catching the Pokémon in Ten Carat Hill… I got Conduct defeated by a Mawile's Bite… Whoops…

Also, I got access to Kahili's scene in Ten Carat Hill… Too bad she doesn't appear anywhere else before she appears in the Elite Four… It also implied that the crystal from the pedestal is hers originally… I wonder why she left it in the hill… After that I got done catching all of the Pokémon in the area, other than those only available via calling others… Amusingly, the game let me name a Spinda Drunk… Surprised that let me do that, but I think it's fitting…

Also saw the scene with Hapu's grandmother… It's still pretty sad… I just wonder what the game would have been like had Hapu's grandfather survived the accident the grandmother talks about… It's a pity players don't get much information about him… Anyway, I'm back at the beach, ready to try out the new minigame and activate another quest… So the minigame is unavailable until I complete every story event on this island… I still have a few more to go, so I may as well do those.

It's also worth noting that I originally wasn't going to get the school quest to activate here, but I decided to simply because I am playing at night… This is also the easiest time to do it, because otherwise it requires a lot of backtracking… So I just did the quest, which is the one with the haunted school… Other people weren't kidding when they said it was creepy… The music doesn't help… It reminds me of a writing assignment in my class where students were supposed to make up haunted stories about the school… I made one about a faculty member who had passed away recently and came back to protect the school, just like the girl in this story… Another student wrote a story about the school janitors getting angry because no one appreciated their work, so they made students disappear… I remember that story not because of how good it was, but because of how bizarre it was… Not to mention this quest is also reminding me of how creeped out I got about walking around school campuses at night, and if I could help it, I never went alone… Anyway, it's still a sad quest… Off to something else…

I also end up getting a few more items as I prepare to leave the first island… Also check out the Photo Shoot feature… It's really cute, but it doesn't do much of anything… Shame… And off to another minigame, Mantine Surf… A lot of people love this minigame, and the player can get some very good items if they do well… However, I keep wiping out, so I'm not very good at it… I can see why people like it though… Not to mention it has awesome music… Worth noting that if the highest score is gotten all four courses, one can win a surfing Pikachu… I probably won't be getting that, though… Also, the game takes me right to the next island… Scenes there are mostly the same, although they lagged a lot for some reason… I take the time to stock up on supplies... Next time, I will explore the second island…

**Day 8 (December 2, 2017)**

Back with more, playing around midday after taking a break from writing during the rest of it. I'm in the next city, the first one in the second island… May as well explore…

Off to battle Dexio, a Psychic Type user… I really wish these two did more... I like them a lot, but they don't even do much in their original games… It's also worth noting that what version the player plays denotes who they will battle in what order. Since I am playing Sun, I will battle Dexio, and Sina much later. The reverse is true if the player is playing Moon. It is the same for the originals.

Also, there appears to be someone that the hotel that can give the player event exclusive Z-Crystals, provided they have the compatible Pokémon in their party… That's pretty nice, although two of the Pokémon are also event exclusive… Also worth noting that the Pikachu event crystals are missing, but I think they will be coming up soon…

Also, it's good to see Corless… It looks like he's having a good time in Alola… I always liked that guy in his own game… I had an odd event where I was chased out of the room by a Pokémon… Somehow I got some items… Stay classy, game… Stay classy…

I also activated a quest here… An old man is looking for his friends around the city, and it's up to me to find them… I don't have access to all the city yet, so I won't be able to do this for a while… On to the next route, where I capture all the Pokemon. Surprisingly, I also get Eevee, a rare find… This also means I don't have to do an event later, although it's still there if I want to.

And I wander into the Pikachu Valley… A Valley entirely of Pikachu, to the point where they greet me as soon as I step into it… I can also get an event exclusive Pikachu here, although the others are still locked behind real life events… I may as well get it, seeing as I don't actually have Pikachu at this point… There's also a quest here that I can complete… Also, where's the Mimikyu? They deserve to be here too… Clearing the quest here gives me some special clothing… Since I have to head back to the Center anyway, I may as well try them on…

And they look adorable… Time to head back to the Valley, where I can obtain a special Pikachu… This Pikachu also comes with a special move, and a cap that is the same as Ash's cap in the original Pokémon anime… The trade-off is that this Pikachu cannot evolve… This Pikachu can be gotten by scanning a real life QR code, then going to the Valley with five Pokémon or less in your party. This Pikachu could also be gotten with real life events near the end of the last games' lifecycle.

And off to Paniola Town, one of my favorite places in the game… Really good music too… Looks like I have a battle with Hau coming up, though… And that was very easy again… Mega Drain took out his starter, and Headbutt took out everything else… Regina did get injured, but that was from taking out three Pokémon in a row… Also, there is a quest with a Vulpix here… I begin the quest, but I cannot continue it until I'm further along…

On to the next route… There's a few new Pokémon, and an event here… The event is that the player visits the Nursery and gets a Pokémon egg. The egg hatches into an Eevee. Nice if the player hasn't found one before, but otherwise, not so useful… Also, Tiger learns Flame Wheel here… Quite useful… I also get Hidden Power, teaching to both Jenny and Petal. I'm completing the quest here, since starting it gets me a free hatching power… Luckily, it's fairly short… I'm also completing everything in Route 4, other than capturing a Tauros… I'm not going back for that, considering the appearance rates are very low… And now to save… I think I will take a break for now… I might do a second part, but I don't know… I've been playing this game is so long the Rotom Dex is actually telling me to take a break…

**Day 9 (December 24, 2017)**

Off to Route 5, playing at night, and also off to the first Gladion fight. He starts with a Zoura, which goes up against Tiger. Tiger takes it out with two Flame Wheels, but is injured by Zoura's Bite. Zubat is next… Conduct takes out Zubat with Thundershock, but not before taking damage with Bite. Finally, there is Type: Null, Gladion's main Pokémon. Its moveset isn't the best, but its stats are higher than most Pokémon at this stage. Type Null is doing a lot of damage with Tackle, not taking a lot in return. I use Regina with her Headbutt and her Z move, but still gets injured. Eventually, I beat it, though

Gladion seems a bit wordier this time around, unfortunately. In other news, Hau appears again here, and I like him because of his cheerful personality in what's otherwise a fairly serious story… Plus I also like the different take he gives on standing in someone else's shadow… Rather than letting it get him down, he resolves to simply grow stronger to reach that goal… I find it a bit refreshing… Petal is not keeping up with damage, and I'm going to have to box her soon.

Lana's trial is ahead, but it appears to have undergone some changes. One of which is that starts at the beginning of Brooklet Hill, rather than near the end. I'm assuming this was to give the player less of an advantage, since many of the Pokémon at Brooklet Hill resist the types used in the trial or are strong against it. There's other changes that I'm not particularly happy with, though. For example, much of Lana's dialogue before and during her trial has been cut… I'm a bit annoyed by that, because it helped flesh out her character, and was overall rather funny… Not to mention that she makes it no secret what's actually going on… Kind of disappointing, if you ask me…

Lana's trial itself is now less straightforward, instead being somewhat of a matching game. There are two splashing puddles of water, and the correct one has a Wishiwashi. Choosing the right puddle sends the Wishiwashi downstream, while choosing the wrong one has the player fight an Dewpider. One can choose to fight the latter even after the correct choice is chosen. Eventually, I make it to the end, off to fight the Totem Pokémon… which turns out to be an Aquariad with boosted speed… Truly a fearsome foe, and already harder than its equivalent in Sun… The reason being that its Bug Type resists most of what would normally be common weaknesses…

I send out Conduct, but the trouble continues… I land a Thunder Wave, but the foe counters with Bubble, boosted in the rain… It does a lot of damage and it summons another Pokémon, Dewpider… I had a chance to attack, but unfortunately, I hit the ally Pokémon with Thundershock instead… Conduct is quickly taken down with Bubble… From there, things only get worse… I attack again with Lucky, using Leech Seed… Unfortunately, I get defeated by Aurora Beam… Kudos to whoever gave the Totems better moves…

I tried attacking it with all my team, but almost everyone gets defeated by Bubble…

At one point I think I have the thing on the ropes and send out Jenny… However, the foe also knows Leech Life, and uses it to quickly defeat her… It also regains most of its health back, leaving the others to do pitiful damage as they try to weaken it again…

Things go from bad to worse when I revive and send out Conduct… I think I will be able to do a lot of damage by hitting it with Thundershock, but that turns out not to be the case… The enemy Pokémon is holding a berry that weakens electric attacks… So I don't do very much at all, and get Conduct defeated… Finally, I am down to one Pokémon, Petal. I don't think she will do well, but she has enough HP to withstand Bubble… Return still doesn't do much damage, but the foe is weakened… Two attacks and it is finally down…

And it's time for Petal to take a well-deserved break as I catch my newest companion… Her name is Linda, and she is a level 14 Wishiwashi. Wishiwashi are actually interesting Pokémon… They have very bad stats, actually worse than Magikarp. However, when they hit level 20, their ability, Schooling, takes effect. This ability allows them to gain much better stats as long as they are at least half HP… It's basically similar to Gyrados, but I will take what I can get… And I've used the former many times before, but never use the latter... Unfortunately, it will take time to get Linda up to level 20, and she will need the help of the others…

There are a few other notable things. Fishing is still a horrible mechanic, so not using it here… I've also built up a bond with the Rotom Dex, so it gives me a nickname… Pity I can't nickname it… That's it for now. I have to level up Linda, and then head back to the water areas I couldn't do before.

**Day 10 (January 3, 2018)**

First entry in the new year… Haven't done this in a while, mainly due to getting new games on the Switch, and Christmas celebrations… Luckily, those are over now… My first order of business is to do a little backtracking… I've just received Lapras Paddle and there's some new places I can go…

And there's the Ultra Recon Squad as I head out to Route 6… I was hoping to get this event over with, but looks like I'm in for a battle… Also, Zossie is adorable and hilarious… Too bad she's stuck with some poorly developed characters, with not a lot of good reason for doing what they do… She would've been interesting if she got more development, or even if she was a main character (perhaps the main protagonist)… But that's beside the point… Her partner Dulce sends out Poiple, a bizarre Poison Type that some believe is a legendary Pokémon. It also evolves into a Dragon type, one of the strongest in the game, but I'm not sure if I battle it or not. I do know it's possible for the player to own it, but that isn't until much later in the game.

Statwise, Poipole and its evolution are one of the weaker legendary Pokémon, but their sets are still impressive for this point in the game… Its first form is actually at the level of many fully evolved Pokémon (or least the early game ones)… Let's hope this encounter isn't as difficult as the one with Type Null… It's not starting off too well though, with the opponent immediately using an X Defense to weather my Z-move… Headbutt doesn't do too much damage despite making the foe flinch twice… And to make matters worse, it uses Charm to lower my attack… While I'm whittling away at its HP with Headbutt, it's doing a lot of damage with Venoshock… Thankfully, I have Rotom… And all of a sudden it recharges my Z-power, allowing me to use it again… This is why I spent so much time making it friendly towards me, because I heard that's the ultimate result… And it's overpowered as heck… This battle is probably over… Indeed it is, and am off to the waterways where I meant to go…

It's quite a ways back to the ferry terminal, but I make it… All the waterways are on the first island, so that's where I'm headed… A bit of a break though… My 3DS needs to charge…

I thought of something I can do with this writing… I'm thinking of taking these blog notes and making it more detailed, which is something I've always wanted to do… I can make an AU and novelization, with the idea that the protagonist has been sent with the idea to scout out this world and how it differs from the one they know (Sun/Moon)… Effectively, they are blazing the trail for people to come after them… Perhaps they're coming for a more peaceful world? Sun/Moon's resolution wasn't exactly happy, even if Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon's is… And of course it would be AU, since the protagonist isn't supposed to know about the events of Sun/Moon… And then there's all the commentary about events in the future… It could be written like a diary, so it is at least somewhat similar to the blog where it came from… The original blog post could be styled like prompts, similar to what the current fanfiction Holly Rising is… It would be a nice little lighthearted break in between that and Usurping, assuming I don't do some one-shots before then… The work could be called Trailblazer…

And I'm back again, playing at night... Time to head to the water… First off is the Memele Sea, where swimmers and water Pokémon roam… Some of the swimmers are pretty powerful though, and Jenny is injured by a Remoraid's Aurora Beam. Things get even tougher for poor Linda… She is injured by a Hawlucha's Wing Attack, to the point where she stops schooling… Luckily, the ability takes effect of the end of the turn, so I am still able to use Brine at its full power…

I try to restore Linda's HP, but without her ability she is very weak… And since it only takes one hit to revert, she is easily defeated… Tiger takes out the foe, but he is injured too. It's also worth noting that Linda learned Aqua Ring while training at Brooklet Hill… I should've asked her to use it…

Other Trainers are pretty easy, but there's this one Trainer that has her Luvdisc use Lucky Chant after its comrade has, three times in a row… Brilliant move, game, brilliant move…

I head up to the Bay, the other surfing area… Not much here other than some extra Pokémon and items… The faster ones from difficult to run away from and nearly killed Jenny… She also has some problems with a Mantyke duo and their Confuse Ray and Bubblebeam… Luckily she finally learns an offensive Psychic Type move, Psybeam…

Also, I capture one of the Mantyke, naming it Michael. He's level 15, and he will be useful if Linda does not prove strong… Shellder's another popular choice, so quickly capture one as a backup... Her name is Shelby, and she's level 22 I get some more Pokémon, including the rare Bagon… After that, it's time to rest at home… Now, to head off to the next island to continue the tale… Time to help Hapu fight off Team Skull… Luckily it's easy… Also, I just realized how weird their theme is…

And on to the Battle Royal… One of my least favorite parts of the generation… It's just so difficult to tell what's going on with four Pokémon on the screen all attacking each other… To make matters worse, the player only needs to lose once…

And there appears to be a side quest related to the Photo Album… In the Pokémon Fan Club, the president will ask the player if they taking pictures of their Pokémon, and if you are, he says that will make them more affectionate… Take enough of them, and the player will become a true Pokémon fan… Perhaps that Photo Shoot is useful after all… It appears that's only for a background… So still not useful… Oh well… I've been playing for a while, so time to take a break for the night…


	86. Land of the Ultra Sun: Part 2

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Day 11 (January 4, 2018)**

I decide to play in the morning a bit, although after this I may not be back until later due to having to run some up, the Battle Royal… Luckily, I'm not the first one to go down this time… I thought I would be, sending Tiger against the Water Type starter and a Rockruff, as well as Type: , the opponents seem to care about attacking each other, allowing me to lower Type: Null's HP with Flame Wheel… I also lose about half my HP because of Type Null's Tackle, and try to use Reversal to end the match, but it doesn't uses Disarming Voice at the beginning of the match for some reason, which doesn't do a lot of damage, but then it eventually targets Rockruff with Aqua Jet… Rockruff tries to fight back with Bite against its opponent, while Type Null is hitting Tiger and Brionne with Tackle…But Rockruff efforts are for nothing, and it eventually goes down to Aqua Jet… I guess I got lucky…

Off to the Thrifty Megamart… This is an interesting little place where all items are half off, but only in the store. It also has a fairly decent selection, the player can even activate side quests later on in the game… I'm only interested in the Rest TM though…There's also some interesting Poké Balls, too (Timer and Nest), so I grab a lot of Souvenir is still here, and there appear to be different types this time. I'm not sure what it does, though… Also, I've collected enough stickers to summon my first Totem Pokémon. Not really worth it though…Now I'm off to the next area, but probably won't explore until after my errands…

And I'm back from my errands to play at midday… Off I head to Wela Volcano National Park…And already the adventure begins… There's a Pokémon called Salandit and it evolves into one of the best Fire Types in the , this only happens if the Pokémon is female, and females are hard to come by... I find a few, but they are male… The best ways to trap one of the males in battle, and have them keep summoning for help. Eventually, they will call a female, which can then be captured. Unfortunately, the females are still very rare, and the chance to call for help does not always work…

There's other problems too… All Salandit possess dangerous move sets… Smog doesn't do a lot of damage, but they can poison any type, even those that would normally resist it… On top of that, they also have Dragon Rage, a move that could take out most Pokémon available at this point one or two hits regardless of defenses… With these dangers, I almost lose the match against them, using many Revives and other healing items… In the end I capture a female, yet everyone but Conduct is defeated… Luckily, it's only a short trip back to the Center, and I'm back at the park…only to run into a trainer and his Kadabra, who nearly defeat Tiger with Psybeam and Confusion… If the trainers are tough, how difficult will the trial be?

So far the trial is the same as before, with the different dances and picking the differences. Linda picks up a new move here, Tearful Look. It could be useful, because it lowers the foes attacking stats, and Linda needs to keep her HP high… It's also worth noting that the answers are bit more subtle this time around, particularly for the second dance with the Hiker.

Also, Marowak is the Totem this time around… A bit odd, seeing as it's also an opponent in the first dance, and it's also weaker than Salazzle…However, it does summon Salazzle and uses Brick Break to weaken Gas and Brick Break weaken her further, with Venoshock taking her out. I send Jenny, because Jenny can do super effective damage to both Pokémon…Except she immediately gets defeated by a critical Flame Wheel… Hopefully Lucky can slow them down…

Lucky is defeated by Venoshock, but not before landing a Stun Spore.I try to have Conduct land a Thunder Wave, but is defeated by both opponents.I use Regina as a sacrifice to revive some people back… Lucky is sent out next, landing a Stun Spore on Salazzle. Both foes missed their they both strike first when Linda goes on the battlefield… Luckily, she's able to attack back with Brine and defeat the Totem, but there's still Salazzle to deal with and Linda's best attack is disabled…I set up Aqua Ring, but Salazzle uses Poison Gas and Venoshock to take out Linda… She manages to barely survive the attack, but after losing her school form, she's easy prey…Jenny is next, and hits it with Psybeam. Unfortunately, she's hit by Torment, and forced to rely on Hidden Power… Flame Burst also injures her.

Luckily, she's healed, and able to take out the opponent next turn.

And Mohn arrives to tell me about the Poke Peldalgo. Pretty nice, considering I don't think there was an explanation in the last game… This is also why I wanted to catch so many Pokémon, because the more Pokémon one can catch, the more one can do there. And what one can do there is incredibly useful… I will be putting this up to full capacity, because it's always worth having two of these running.I managed to develop some of the islands, but I can't fully develop them until later… Off to the next trial…

And it seems there's a new area called the Dividing Peak Tunnel… It seems pretty interesting…And I meet the Ultra Recon squad, who talk about aura readings coming from Totem Pokémon and Z-Rings, as well as meeting with a scientist. They are also mentioned as being from another world. I'm surprised no one suspects them... Then again, this is Pokémon, so doesn't have the best story…And I think that's it for the night… Next time I will continue towards the grass trial… Hopefully it shouldn't be as difficult…

**Day 12 (March 20, 2018) **

It's been a while since I've done this, but I've been doing a lot of things, mainly finishing Pokémon Tournament DX and a bunch of solo runs. However, in order to finish the solo runs I have to also finish this, because I prefer to know a bit about the game before I do a challenge run on it… Furthermore, these posts are going to go into a story called Scrapbook which includes all of my complete blog posts that are not part of the current solo runs. This also includes the aborted Absol solo run and the notes that were taken on the Platinum speed run challenge done last year. Any incomplete or very short blog posts will not make it in, however. Trailblazer will still be its own separate work, different from Traveler and the blog posts. With that in mind, it's time to begin.

I'm roughly about halfway through the game, on to the grass trial. It's worth noting that relatively little has changed in the months I've been away… There's been a few global missions, and I've been working on expanding the islands, but other than that, nothing.

Apparently, it's possible to find Kecleon hidden in the shadows of the Dividing Tunnel, before Route 8. They're pretty powerful, too, with one doing a lot of damage to Conduct. Not to mention they have a good moveset. Soo bad their stats are so low…

I also saw a Whimpod nearby. I'm hoping I can make it appear again, because I want one for my team… However, catching one is easier said than done… This is because they have one of the most annoying catch scenarios in all of Pokémon. They run across the map, and will bolt at the first sign of the player. At first, I try to run with them, but they prove to be too fast and swerve out of my way… This leads to about 10 failed attempts of me going back and forth… Finally, I stand right at the end of the path where the Pokémon swerves to, and managed to catch one just by walking into it.

Catching them in battle is also a problem… Wimipod's main ability is Wimp Out, where, when in a Trainer battle, it will switch out when it's at half HP. In a wild battle, it will run away, forcing me to do the quest to catch it all over again… Luckily, I have a bunch of Quick Balls… I name it Sprinter, which is a fitting name… Sprinter isn't much in battle, knowing only Struggle Bug and Sand Attack… However, when it evolves into Golisopod, it becomes one of the strongest Bug Types in the game. If only the quest to capture it weren't so annoying… I get that this Pokémon is a coward, so it makes sense based on its personality, but still…

I choose to send Linda back to storage, because although powerful, she's a bit frail. Furthermore, the idea of keeping her above half HP constantly in or to avoid her becoming deadweight is not something that appeals to me… Not to mention, she does not transform until the end of the turn, leaving her wide open for attack… On the other hand, if Sprinter reaches half HP, he just switches out. So he's much easier to use… With that, it's time to train…

I train against Kecleon, but the fights are difficult… They're still pretty powerful, and their moves do a lot of damage to my team… Almost all of them are injured, but Sprinter gets to the right level in no time. Roto Exp helps with this as well. And I also get the covenanted Roto Hatches. They're highly sought after for obvious reasons, but most people have trouble getting them… Regina also learns Bite here, and I find that useful.

I'm back at the Pokémon Center, and it looks like I have some gifts to pick up… A little while ago, there was an event with the starters and their hidden abilities… So I am going to grab the Pokémon from the event very quickly… I won't be using them, but with them, I should have enough to expand all the islands… As I head to do a little more training, I take another Pokémon with me. This is a special Rockruff received at the beginning of the game, provide that the player activated Mystery Gift. I need it for completion, but it's difficult to evolve… It has to be an Own Tempo Rockruff, currently only available through events. Furthermore, it can only evolve once it reaches level 25 or higher at five o'clock to 5:59 PM game time. I'm thinking of getting it as close to lv. 25, so I can evolve it as soon as the right time comes… Now I'm far enough in the game where that is possible…

There are bit more problems with training than expected… For one, I try to use Sprinter, but his ability means I'm constantly fleeing from battles… The Roto Powers help, but I'm using a lot of them… Furthermore, I have to use some of my healing items, as the trip back to the Center is too long… Regina almost runs out of Power Points and becomes very over leveled from helping others train… It's worth noting her Z-move defeats Kecleon instantly, so it's very useful. However, eventually, the Rockruff, Twilight, gets to the level where one or two more battles will allow her to evolve. So with that done, I can finally move on… I will be back for Twilight later, though…

On to Route 8… Looks like the continuation of the Vulpix side quest is here… The people at Aether need me to bring it some food, so off I go… In order to complete the last part of the side quest, I have to visit it daily. I'm not sure how easy that will be, but I will try…

Also, I meet Corless here… I suspect he will have some plot relevance later, seeing as he meets with the Ultra Recon Squad… The encounter goes much the same, otherwise, and he still gives me the TM for Flame Charge. I must say, I do like the foreshadowing with the encounter and how it was handled much better than the original timeline. In that timeline, it just seemed like Corless popped out of nowhere…

Also, I went to go catch the creatures of the route, but had a lot of trouble finding Stufful… I found it eventually, but Sprinter got destroyed by Dragon Rage the process…Finally, the right time comes and Twilight evolves into Dusk Lycanroc. Unfortunately, while it looks awesome and has the helpful moves of both the other forms, it's really not that impressive... It takes a while to learn the moves that made the other forms excel, and its stats aren't that much different from Midday… It's a lot of work for something that players could easily find normally… It's really a shame, because if only it had something a bit more worthwhile, I would've loved to use it… It's also annoying because it's event only, but at least it can breed for others… Anyway, Twilight's place is now in the Living Dex in the Bank, so up there she goes… With the party reassembled, I head back out…

Only to immediately run into trouble with a Trumbeak… The bird decides to use a Supersonic and Roost to make it so my Pokémon can't attack while it heals itself… I realize that Tiger can't do enough damage to get through Roost, and try to switch to Conduct… But that doesn't work, as Supersonic prevents Conduct from attacking and it takes damage consistently… Meanwhile, the bird is whittling down its HP with Pluck… Eventually, it switches to Rock Smash, which does more damage… I try to use a Roto Boost to counter, but I have no luck as Rock Smash destroys my Pokémon… At least Conduct was able to pull off a Thunder Wave, allowing Tiger to take it down… And I think that's enough for now… Not a lot of progress, but training that will hopefully help in future fights… Next time, the grass trial, with all its horror stories…

**Day 13 (March 24, 2018)**

I went to go play some more today, but realized that playing it in strong sunlight is not the best idea… The sunlight reflects on the screen, and makes it difficult to see anything... Cue me doing things like running into walls… The battles were tough too. There was a Stufful that decided to use Bide… Thankfully, Lucky hit it with paralysis and Leach Seed so it did not attack back… Type advantages did the rest… Unfortunately, there was an Arourus that I wasn't so lucky on... That Pokémon nearly destroyed Lucky with an Aurora Beam… I switched out to Tiger, only to be destroyed by Rock Throw… I think I eventually took it down with Jenny or Conduct, but I don't really remember the move because I couldn't see properly… There was an Omanyte with Rollout, but he didn't do much to Conduct…

I complete the Vulpix quest, although I don't really get anything for it… Also, there's a Trainer with an Eevee that gives me a lot of trouble… I try to use Lucky, but it ends up taking a lot of damage and doing relatively little in return with Mega Drain… I do manage to take down with Leech Seed and Stun Spore or though… There's another battle where I have to talk to a young child that has unknowingly borrowed his brother's Pokémon… It's a Kangaskhan, and it's quite tough… It ends up taking Conduct down with Reversal and other moves… I do manage to take it down with Lucky, though… Eventually, the kid's brother appears and says that if he wants to win with borrowed Pokémon, he must train himself. I thought that was interesting, because it is true, and that in order to win with someone else's Pokémon, the Trainer must know how those Pokémon battle. The little boy then vows to start by training his own Pokémon, and says that he will defeat me one day. I wonder if that will be the case…

Anyway, Hau appears and talks about Festival Plaza. It's worth noting that although the Festival Plaza is optional in the last game, it is not here. In order to activate a quest once the main game is cleared, the player must set up Festival Plaza. So if the player has not done so by this point, the game automatically take them there and take them through the basic steps… Honestly, that sounds a bit annoying, but it makes a lot of sense in context… It's also worth noting that the islands in the Pelago are nearing completion… I've been having my Pokémon search for evolution stones... I found a Fire Stone, but now I need a Sun Stone… Lucky has to evolve soon…

Meanwhile, I continue along the route… I'm going to try and multitask, because there is another game, Flight Rising, that I want to advance. It's also worth noting that Twilight is back on the regular team… I want to use her as part of a challenge, and I might need her at least a little bit… The run doesn't start out too well… There is a Hoothoot that keeps using Zen Headbutt against Conduct… It eventually weakens it, although, Conduct still wins.

There's more trouble in the mountains with the wild Diglett… I try to use one to level up, but he keeps using Astonish against Lucky, causing him to flinch... When Lucky flinches, he can't attack, and he doesn't have much stamina to take hits… Eventually, he wins, but it takes a while.

A final problem in the mountains comes from a Hiker… His Makuhita is powerful, and keeps forcing my other Pokémon switch out… This is despite the fact that Lucky is the best choice to beat him… And, although look he succeeds, he is paralyzed via Force Palm… Things go from bad to worse as lucky as faces a Mudbray… Opponent knows Stomp, which does a lot of damage… Lucky also has a chance of flinching, if the paralysis doesn't get to it first... I try to hit it with a Stun Spore and a Leech Seed, but I have trouble hitting at all… Lucky also has to heal many times, as he nearly faints because of Stomp… He eventually defeats the foe with Mega Drain, but I wonder how much longer he will be on the team…

At last, I make it to Lush Jungle… Not one of my favorite trials, unfortunately, but a good difficulty… And it looks like this trial got revised for the better… Originally, Mallow had the player wander around the jungle looking for ingredients. To make matters worse, they had to use Stoutland Search, the equivalent of the Item Finder. It's slow to use, and difficult to pinpoint… However, this time, Mallow asks for different ingredients, and leads the player to the sub area where they are. It definitely takes a lot of frustration out of the trial… So it's a welcome change… Also worth noting that Mallow mentions that wild Pokémon may attack the player if they take an ingredient from the wrong spots… I wonder if that will happen to me…

Interesting that the berries all have different tastes… I wonder if that means anything…

Next, Mallow leads me to a place where I can find honey I grab the first one I find, but looks like I made a Pokémon angry… I wonder what the consequences for that will be…

The last ingredient involves grabbing roots from trees that look like the Pokémon Sudowoodo, although some of them actually are that Pokémon. Best be careful… Once again, I go with the first one I could find…

And it looks like I picked the wrong ingredient… I quickly get attacked by a Comfrey, who puts up quite a fight against Conduct… Leech Seed and Draining Kiss do a lot of damage, and Conduct has to be healed… To make matters worse, the best move Conduct has against it is Magnet Bomb, which runs off its lower physical attack... Luckily, after this, it learns Mirror Shot, which runs off its higher stat. Conduct is still weakened by the end of it, though…

And I picked the wrong ingredient for the third one too… Lucky goes against the third Pokémon, a Sudowoodo. He manages to avoid Rock Tomb twice, but gets knocked down yellow health when he actually is hit… He tries to attack back with Mega Drain, but doesn't do much damage… Thankfully, Leech Seed evens the odds…

Interesting how the player doesn't have to help with the cooking this time… Anyway, this starts the infamous Totem battle… I lead with Sprinter, but quickly switch out… Tiger comes in and immediately takes a Solar Blade… It's the strongest attack of the opponent has, but thankfully it can only use it once before charging up again… Also, it summons Kecleon, which, while annoying, is far from the worst…

The Totem next uses X-Scissor, which doesn't do much damage… Kecleon's Dizzy Punch does, however, and Tiger faints… Quickly, I send out Regina, hoping it will be enough…

And it turns out to be the case… The totem charges of a solar Blade, but gets hit by a Breakneck Blitz. The Totem and its helper strike back with Solar Blade and Dizzy Punch, but since both of them are physical moves, they don't do much damage… Headbutt quickly defeats them both…

And I get the Grass Z crystal… It looks like no one wants try the rest of the food… It's a shame, considering the scene in the other version where they ran away after it was too spicy was much funnier…

I decide to good idea to go get some Pokémon… It's particularly important because I encounter a Passimiam. They have a low encounter rate, and can be used to complete a side quest by showing a boy the Pokémon when it's in the player's party. This one fights back fiercely, nearly defeating Tiger with a Rock Smash. Tiger hits back with Bite, but is nearly defeated. Lucky chips in with Leech Seed, but the enemy has trouble staying in the Timer Ball. Eventually, I catch it though… Off to show the boy… And he gets a funny story will I get a rare candy… Worth it…

Back to catching Pokémon, although it takes me forever… Not to mention Tiger gets beat up by a Hoothoot who uses Psycho Shift to move paralysis around, and then hits him again and again with Zen Headbutt… There's another episode with a Comfrey that has Tiger almost getting beaten down with Growth boosted attacks… But eventually, I catch everything… That's it for now. Also, playing two games at once was a success, because even though the game went slower, Flight Rising got most of what it needed to done. Should be able to finish that tomorrow, and then things will be back to normal…

**Day 14 (March 30, 2018)**

I'm taking a break from editing Diary to do something for this. Also noting that I did a bit of another game called Fire Emblem Heroes, but that was this morning and that game won't have any major updates until next month. I've been completing the island offscreen. I finally have a Sun Stone, and only a bit more before I've done everything…

A bit of running around, trying to fight all the trainers on Route 8… Fighting them all unlocks a Flying Type Trainer that awards the player with Sky Drop. Her Fletchinder tries to fight back with Ember, but is no match for Tiger's Take Down. She also has a Fearow that actually uses its Z-move, but Conduct defeats it. Also,Twilight rejoins the party, and Regina leaves. Regina won't be much help in the upcoming battles, and I want to try to use the Dusk Forme after all the trouble I went through to get it…

I found a few fossils, and they are relatively rare… I restore the Pokémon, but they're nothing I'm going to use… Instead, I make my way to the Dimensional Research Lab for some story… And that story is the same as the original. It's kind of funny, hearing about people talking about the mysteries of Ultra Beasts and how they were feared, but since I've already played the originals, I already know what those mysteries are… I wonder how the protagonist will react with the knowledge…

Anyway, on to Diglett's Cave to the next city. There's a new Pokémon here, Larvitar. It's not too powerful on its own, but evolves into one of the strongest Pokémon in the games. Unfortunately, it takes a while to reach that level, and I've used it before, so I won't be using it again… Larvitar is probably best known for being the subject of a controversial Pokémon hack, but the less said about that mess, the better…

Anyway, this one still proves to be strong, injuring Sprinter enough to run away… I try to capture it several times, but fail… It's also worth noting that I try to use Lucky to weaken it, and then Twilight. However, Twilight is nearly defeated by Rock Slide and Chip Away… Thankfully, I manage to catch it…

I catch a Diglett in order to have a little fun with Wonder Trade… It's always been one of my favorite features... Unfortunately, I don't get anything good, so I quickly move on…

Off to Team Skull... Nothing much other than some horrible lag because I'm battling with Hau, and Ekans paralyzing me using Glare…

But now there is a cause of celebration… Sprinter has reached level 29, which means I can use a Rare Candy to evolve it. Not a moment too soon, seeing as it's near useless in battle without evolution… It's supposed to one of the strongest Pokémon in the game otherwise, so I hope that is the case… Apparently, the only move it can learn now is First Impression, which only works the first turn it's in battle. Hopefully, it can learn some other things soon, because it stats are not all that bad…

Also, nice to see Looker here, making a cameo and wishing me luck… I always thought his speech pattern was hilarious, and I enjoyed his character, so it's good to see that he has appeared in every game since his debut…

Time to start a creepy, but interesting, side quest... A man in the police station has noticed his partner acting odd, and talking him reveals is actually a Ditto! The Ditto can be either captured or defeated, but it's interesting in that it has stats that are more for competitive battlers. There are five in total, and reporting each to the officer gets a bit of money. Apparently, this group is called the Ditto Five, and they love transforming into humans because they love them so much. I could see them fitting well into Traveler, with its idea of Pokémon citizenship, or even just a separate story about them… Anyway, I've been tasked with hunting them down in the city, so off I go… Still kind of creepy, thinking anyone can be a Ditto, and any Ditto can get enough transformation power to become a human…

Before heading to the next area, it's time to fight the other Trainers of the route… One of the Trainers has a Tentacool that knows Water Pulse. It hurts Conduct, but I win the fight.

Unfortunately, the Pokémon here are tough… Tiger gets injured by a Magby's Flame Burst and Silver Wind, while Jenny gets injured by Jolteon's Double Kick. To be fair, I don't need to go to this area until little bit later, but I'm doing it now for the experience…

Lucky is having a lot of trouble here, getting smashed around by Fourfrou's Headbutt while not doing enough damage back… It has the same problem with Comfrey and Sweet Kiss… I really hope he get some better stats when he evolves. Otherwise, he's not going to be in the party for much longer…

Also, Goilsopod has the problem of most of its good moves being unavailable to it before it evolves… So the only response is to go to the Move Tutor to get them back… Unfortunately, the Move Tutor is near the end of the game… Luckily, I can transfer it to Pokémon Sun and teach it moves there. I quickly teach it Liquidation, and Slash. It's interesting, because the Move Tutors in this generation seem to be able to go through a Pokémon's entire moveset, rather than what they have currently learned. Liquidation is one of the last moves Sprinter can learn, yet it showed up as available…

I head towards the outskirts, picking up Leech Life. Sprinter happily learns it, but Lucky is injured again by a Wishiwashi with Take Down… Lucky is destroyed in two hits by a Crabrawler with Dizzy Punch… I use Jenny to revive him, but then she gets taken out by Power Up Punch… At least he finally beat it and evolves… I get to the next city and sprint to Pokémon Center, in order to heal and get better moves. Also may as well take a break here, but I at least want to get to Olivia by tonight, because I've heard the second half of the game is where things start to really speed up and change…

So I'm back from my break to enjoy a little bit more of this game… I'm particularly interested in the Ditto Five, because I've had some interesting experiences with the species. One Ditto had Imposter, which allowed it to transform on the first turn. It made it to the end of a Wonderlocke, being one of the most powerful members of the team… Another normal Ditto was seen in the final team of a Normal Type only run. That team made it to Pewter City in the Johto remakes… Anyway, I find Ditto an interesting Pokémon because it can become whatever the player needs, especially if it has Imposter. It probably would not have Imposter here, but I may still use it… Therefore, time to finish up the quest…

But at first I don't find the Ditto, but an interesting fight… In order to win the match, one must use Z-power at any point. Failing to do so still has the game act like the player has won, but the quest giver will become angry and the quest cannot be finished… By the way, the quest giver is a lovesick man who wants to confess to his girlfriend, but needs the courage of Z-power to do that. It's at that point that I realize that I don't have anyone with Z-power at the moment… So I quickly give the Normal Z Crystal to Sprinter and use Slash. This battle is actually pretty difficult, with the opponent being Clamperl. It has powerful moves, like Scald and Iron Defense. Unfortunately, all Sprinter has are physical moves, and everyone else gets heavily injured by Scald… Well, everyone except for Lucky, but he doesn't have a Z Crystal… Also, Sprinter gets burned, twice. The first time it is healed, the second time it's not. The opponent keeps using Iron Defense, even using it right before the Z move. And then, once its defenses maxed, it continues to use Scald and burn my Pokémon. This all makes it difficult to do any damage… Eventually, I win, but it takes a long time… I am having so much trouble on the battles here that I wonder if I should fight some wild Pokémon to level up…

But now, quickly, I turn in the second Ditto. The money for the quest is quite good, so it's worth that at least… There are a lot of TMs here... I buy them all because they are good… Jenny and Tiger learn Aerial Ace as a result.

My next stop is the restaurant. I will need a Heart Scale for later, and the next Ditto is here... It's really funny because the protagonist really likes the more normal dishes, like the meats, the fish, and the vegetables, but the instant they try local specialties, they hate it… It makes sense because they come from Kanto, but it's still kind of funny… Even funnier is that if it were me, I'd be eating the local food like no tomorrow… I love exotic dishes, and I have penchant for eating weird things like it's nothing… And then I always want more… And I miss it when I'm gone from it… It's my own claim to fame, because no one in my family has it… And when I'm traveling, I have to try all the local foods, just because the weirder the better… So I could totally see myself stuffing my face with that special the game character didn't like…

Also, this Ditto seems like a tough opponent, injuring Jenny with Aerial Ace and Foul Play… I use up a lot of Poke Balls too… The rest of the Ditto are no easier, with Jenny and Tiger being knocked out in separate battles, Jenny being knocked out twice, and Lucky taking damage… They still prove to catch, even with catching boosts… Luckily, I finally get them all… And the quest continues to be creepy, as the officer talks about Ditto being swapped with people without them knowing… And as he says this, his partner smiles… All the implications are there that he is a Ditto too… I wonder how long it will take for anyone to figure that out…

Anyway, time to decide who comes with me… Twilight is not performing very well, and I already have the Steel Type for resistances… And Ditto might be a helpful against Olivia's signature Pokémon… On to the IV calculator… And to buy all the supplies I can find…

Nick, the Ditto I caught with a critical capture Timer Ball, appears to be the healthiest, so I will use him… However, there's no telling how he will fare against Olivia… That is, until I come back next time…

**Day 15 (March 31, 2018)**

I'm taking another break from editing to play some of this. Also, Twilight has gone back to the Bank, and I seem to get lucky finding Fossils… They're supposed to be really rare, but I think I have one of almost every Pokémon now… Also, I visit Olivia's shop, but she's not here right now… Her shop does sell some extra clothing, and the basic evolution stones… I don't need any of that, so I move on… It seems I need to meet her at the Ruins of Life, where I was before… And it looks like there's a conflict between the Aether Foundation and Team Skull… Also, I love the jabs at Faba here… Though to be fair he is actually one of the strongest Trainers at the foundation, so it makes sense why he doesn't fight right away… Anyway, time to do the dirty work…

Tiger gets injured by a Raticate's Hyper Fang critical hit… He then flinches on the next assault and gets injured several more times… Worth noting that he eventually does win the fight, but it's a lot of healing, and he still injured… Luckily, Tiger won't be used in the next battle…

Although I forgot about Plumeria in the next battle… Whoops… I send out Lucky against her Golbat, and then have to switch to Tiger… Tiger barely survives repeated attacks of Poison Fang and Wing Attack, is immediately healed, then constantly has to be healed over and over again as it attacks with Flame Wheel… Also, Tiger gets it with Confuse Ray, but thankfully it doesn't work… I try to use to use Jenny to take out her next Pokémon, but that fails… Jenny is taken put by two Flame Bursts, putting Tiger back in… Who is still getting hit by Flame Burst… I start to think that's all my opponent knows, but it also knows Poison Gas, just to make things more annoying... Tiger wins with Aerial Ace, but is still injured…

Finally, I make it to the Ruins of Life, and Lillie heals my team. Good thing, too… I am pretty beat up... And my next opponent is Olivia…

She starts with Anorith, which I had not predicted… I could have sworn she started with Graveler in the originals… By the way, I switch out to Conduct. Conduct gets hit by a Metal Claw, but that doesn't do much damage… A Bug Bite does, though, and Conduct hits back with Thudershock. It paralyzes the opponent, but does neutral damage. I always think Anorith is Bug and Water, only to be mistaken… Anyway, Olivia sends in Lileep, so I keep in Conduct.

Unfortunately, Conduct gets hit by Brine twice. It tries to retaliate with Mirror Shot, but gets taken down. The opponent is almost gone, but Olivia heals next turn as I send in Lucky. I try to use Giga Drain, but it does not do as much as I hoped… To make matters worse, Lileep is immune to a lot of Lucky's moves… It does decent damage back with Ancientpower. Lucky defeats it with Giga Drain, but now I must face Lycanroc…

Lycanroc uses Bite, and Lucky flinches twice. I wonder what Olivia is doing until she proceeds to completely destroy Lucky with her Z-move… And I can't use Sprinter because he's weak to Rock… So I have no choice… Nick will have to do… He is injured by Bite, but manages to use Transform. Despite several healings, Nick is defeated by Rock Tomb… Leaving Sprinter as my only option… I am afraid my opponent will use Rock Tomb, but instead it uses Bite. Which leaves me to use my Water Z-move and completely pulverize it... A difficult battle indeed…

There is some quests I can do now that the second Grand Trial is completed… One of them is only available during the day, but the other two are available now. One of them involves a father concerned about his daughter, and the couple asks you to battle him in order to convince him that they can get married. Of course, I accept, and get an item… The other one is that Illmia has had an item stolen, and believes that a Hypno may have done it… There's three Hypno that may have committed the crime, and I can choose to capture or defeat one of them. Each one is a specific set of moves, and I pick the one with Nasty Plot. After all, Nasty Plot on a Psychic Type is usually a good thing. Not to mention the dialogue is hilarious… There's a lot of money to be had from these quests, so I pick up some TMs and healing items before taking a break…


	87. Land of the Ultra Sun: Part 3

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Day 16 (April 5, 2018)**

Off to go play this game again after a while not playing it… In the meantime, I've perfected all the islands, and received many items… One important one is the Helix Fossil… The Helix Fossil transforms into Omanyte, and I don't believe I've used it before. I've always had a soft spot for that Pokémon, ever since the legend of Twitch Plays Pokémon and Omastar being treated like a god… I may just use it if Sprinter doesn't work out. The new Pokémon's name is Rex.

Also, there is a funny event if the player goes to the shopping mall on the first floor during the day… There's a show with people in Bewear costumes, pretending to be Pokémon… They all state that the real thing is very dangerous, and panic when one actually shows up… Then the player gets a chance to capture or defeat it. Bewear is a very good Pokémon, so I decide to capture it. I also feel bad for it, because it just wants to love people, but does not know its own strength… Perhaps it just wanted the crowd's attention, hoping that someone would love it… Maybe that's why the anime gave a less antagonistic portrayal… Nevertheless, Bewear is one of my favorite Pokémon, so I take it with me. She replaces Nick, and her name is Luz.

I arrive at the resort, but it seems I already have to save someone… There is a famous Pikachu, Mr. Chuster, and someone wants to interview him… Unfortunately, he has no interest, but the person doesn't care... Time to fight… The reporter has a Miltank who can take a lot of hits and do a lot of damage in return. It doesn't help that I attack with Thundershock before realizing it has Bide… I tried to use Thunder Wave to reduce the damage thrown back at me, but it still does a lot of damage. Conduct is badly injured, but at least I can heal it… The rest of the match is not eventful, as my opponent tries to take me down with Rollout and Body Slam. However, I beat it back with Thundershock. My reward is the ability to teach any Pikachu Volt Tackle, and Pikachu's special Z move. Too bad I won't be using either…

My next area of interest is Hano Beach. There's a sidequest that pays well… Pokémon apparently wash up onto the beach, and they need Trainers to throw them back into the water… The mental image of it is hilarious, but probably not that funny considering what can happen to beached creatures… Anyway, I always like doing the sidequest, because it can be done daily, it's fairly easy, and pays a lot of money. If a player finds six Pokémon, they receive the reward, So I head off, toss the Pokémon back, and get the reward… But I'm not finished yet... There are still trainers to battle in the water, and I want to fight them for experience…

The first is a Trainer with a Pelipper. Jenny is able to fight with Foul Play, but the Pelipper gravely injures her with Water Pulse and Brine. It does not help that its new ability Drizzle, powers up its Water Type moves. I quickly switch into Conduct, but seeing as he's still injured from the last match, he almost meets the same fate… Luckily, is able to heal and use a Thundershock to defeat the beast.

Also, I head back to land just in time to see a Pikachu wedding… It's pretty cute, but it turns out to be just for play… It reminds me of something that my elementary school, though... There was a guy and the girl that really liked each other, so a bunch of other people set up a pretend wedding in the back of the school's forest area which almost everyone used as a secret hideout… That was normally where I took walks, so I decided to watch despite being weirded out… But before the wedding could start, the teachers got angry and called it off… Everyone was annoyed, including me… And the teachers were pretty strict, so not many people liked them… Oddly enough, the middle school and high school were the opposite… Anyway, I have to wonder what would've happened if that wedding went through... Looking back, I find the whole thing hilarious, but I think the teachers would've had to explain the implications of that… And I don't think the pair likes each other anymore…

Jenny has difficulty against a Pyukumuku with Counter. Luckily, I switch out to Conduct before she gets hit… She tries to learn Payback, but is much weaker than what she currently has, so I don't let her. Conduct nearly gets destroyed by a Gyarados using Thrash, but thankfully manages to take it down with two Thundershocks… Lucky tries to learn Tailwind in another fight, but I don't let him. And I realize there's a trainer I forgot to battle… But my team is injured… I try to get Tiger some experience, but he's taken down by a Basculin… Jenny gets the experience instead, and Luz get some action. She can take many hits, but I need to teach her some better moves when I get back on land… So she learns Brick Break and Aerial Ace…

Also, there's a Pokémon version of Romeo and Juliet… I have to help them find each other, and it's quite cute when I do… Unfortunately, the female gets tossed away back into the ocean, leaving the male heartbroken once again… But knowing he is the type of Pokémon people chuck for a living, they will see each other again…

Finally time to head the Aether Foundation, who most certainly will not be important later (just kidding)… Faba is still the same as ever, although I have heard his outcome is a bit different in this game… But that will be for later… Also, Wicke's dialogue is a bit different in this version for some reason… She's a bit more wordy, and seemingly a bit more ditzy. She also mentions traveling around Kanto when she was younger, which is never mentioned in the originals. Makes the fact that she can't be battled even stranger… Also, I never got the whole jamming concept of Poke Balls… If the signals are jammed, then how are Trainers going to battle? On top of that, what if there is an emergency where someone needs to catch something (like what's coming up)? I feel like the problem of having the Pokémon in the conservation areas being captured could be solved simply by registering them to Aether or even Lusamine. It seems like the only reason the jamming is done is because of a certain battle coming up, so it seems forced…

And I meet Lusamine here… It seems she's much the same at first, but I have a problem with her story in this game… I do like how beautiful her theme is, I didn't really appreciate it before. But I may as well give out some the spoilers for the last game… In the last game, Lusamine lost her husband, and set out researching mysterious Pokémon called Ultra Beasts to go and find him. Unfortunately, she was implied to be poisoned, causing her to hurt others, and neglect her own children. That story made sense, because even though she was a villain, there was also a sympathetic side because she was never truly in control of her actions…

Ultra Sun and Moon changes things, but it's not for the better… She still loses her husband, but what makes this odd is that she is never poisoned, and still neglects everything in order to find him. So it makes her much a less sympathetic character, even though she comes to realize the damage her actions do. She even tries to force the blame onto others, believing it's what's best for the world, but not even considering the damage that's doing to her loved ones or any other options. She's so consumed by her own selfish thoughts that she doesn't think differently or of anything else, other than saving the world through them. And that makes her motives much less believable, and unsympathetic… If anything, she's just incredibly extreme, going to actually vicious lengths only to save one person and get a form of revenge… Not to mention when she finally does get to meet her husband through an optional event, he does not remember her… She lets him go, despite the fact that she's been chasing after him for years, and it's implied that she suffers greatly because of the decision… Overall, I'm not particularly happy with how her story changed…

And traveler, the series I am writing right now, was born partially because of this… In fact, I feel like it would've been much better if Lusamine was an ally from the beginning… She could just be a broken woman, trying to take care for children is that she could while searching for her lost husband. Then she and enlists the player, and they work together to help Lusamine find her lost husband. Along the way, they battle the Ultra Recon Squad, who have their own extreme ways of saving the world at the expense of everyone else, and want to use the power of the Beasts for their own selfish reasons. A plot like this would've been much more straightforward, interesting, and stable than what this game actually does, but unfortunately, I didn't write it… And unfortunately, I have more complaints about something coming up…

And that something is a fight against Nihilego… Yes, Nihilego. The game doesn't clarify that's what it is, but that is the Pokémon's name. It is quite powerful, but weak to physical attacks. I honestly don't understand why the game creators won't let the player catch the Pokémon… Perhaps they don't want players breezing through the game with a legendary Pokémon early on… But it didn't stop the Hoenn remakes from handing the player a legendary right after the fifth Badge… Plus, its weakness is easily exploitable… Furthermore, Nihilego has a second form that is seen near the end of the first set of games in Alola. That second form is really cool, but the player never gets to see it… And in a generation where new Pokémon are introduced in the middle one for the first time, this would have been the perfect time to show it off… If not as a brand-new species, then as an evolution… A wasted opportunity, if you ask me… In fact, Nihilego never appears again after this, unless the player goes to an optional area much later in the game.

On top of that, what happens to Nihilego represents how I feel about how the Ultra Beasts are treated… They're demonized and treated as dangerous monsters, foreign invaders, to be destroyed or driven out. But what if they weren't demons? What if the Ultra Beasts really could find a way to live amongst the people of the other regions? Maybe there's a threat only they can stop, and they can be heroic? What if the natives are the ones in the wrong? I was particularly intrigued with Nihilego, because although parasites are generally seen as bad, parasites and poison can actually help heal many different things. So it would be one of the first Pokémon that could be used heroically. It was those ideas that eventually led to the creation of Tulip, a major character in Traveler. And of course, she's one of the most heroic characters in series, although not so much during to her initial appearances. Lusamine also get similar treatment, but I will get to that later…

For now, I have to battle Nihilego… Unfortunately, it doesn't go too well… I try using Jenny, but she nearly dies to Venoshock while doing very little damage with Psybeam. Conduct is much more effective, resisting all of the creature's attacks, and hitting back with Mirror Shot. Unfortunately, just when I'm about to finish it off, Nihilego flees… I honestly forgot that existed, and I'm sad at the missed experience... If I hadn't missed a turn with that using Headbutt, I would've won… It's not worth redoing the fight, however…

Also, the Ultra Recon appears here, explaining about Ultra Beasts and Ultra Wormholes… Of course, I know this already from playing the original games until the end… Necrozma absorbing light is new information, however, and there's still no real explanation as for how it does that… I don't if know the game ever really gives one, other than saying it just absorbs light from other things… But that's all for now… I can't believe I made it to the halfway point of the game… It's where things really ramp up…

**Day 17 (April 7, 2018)**

Off to Malie City… My favorite city in the region… Awesome music too... Don't know why it's my favorite, but it might be because it is based off of Johto… I am biased towards Johto, after all… Lots of side quests to do here, starting with the Pokémon Center. If the player takes a break at the café, the nurse will join them and there will be a sweet little conversation. I love when there's little background events to humanize the characters, and it would make sense that she would need a break… Also, a lot of good TMs here, so I get them all. Luz gets Shadow Claw, and Jenny Psychic.

Time to head to the interior of the Hano Grand Resort, which I didn't get to do before… There is a woman with a Trumbeak who challenges me to a battle if I talk to her. She's a songwriter, looking for more inspiration… I gladly have Jenny give it to her… It's noted Psychic doesn't do much damage, but Foul Play does. Interesting how that works… Anyway, Jenny's close to evolving, so I have her continue to participate. Another Trainer is here, wanting to see a Z-move… I actually do the battle right this time, and have Sprinter wash her Pokémon away. I don't know how that is supposed to inspire confidence, but it does.

The last event is unchanged from the original games, where two golfers are harassing a Machamp… Naturally, I have to go help him… Unfortunately, the golfers are tougher than they look… They both send out Orocorio, and order them to use Air Cutter. And the Pokémon I have are Jenny and Luz… The former doesn't have much stamina, and the latter is weak to the attacks... So despite fiercely battling, they're both down in the red… Luckily, the Roto Dex gets to prove how useful it is… I haven't used the HP restore technique. It takes up a turn, but fully heals the player's party, provided the player is engaged in battle. With this, my pair of Pokémon can easily win. And it truly proves how powerful the Dex is, with a battle going from nearly lost to easily won in a minute or so…

Also, Jenny evolves here, and one of the most bizarre methods of evolution in the series… In order for this evolution to occur, Inkay must be at least level 30. While Inkay is at the necessary level to evolve, the player must turn the 3DS completely upside down while the level is gained… It's a bit difficult to do well battling normally, so I just use a Rare Candy… I remember this was one of the most confusing tidbits when the Kalos games first came out, and still is. I also wonder how Inkay will evolve in future games, because this feature was made to test out the 3DS's Gyro controls, and other games may not have that feature...

Anyway, off to explore the city. Exploring late at night after a birthday party, so it's a bit different. Still pretty cool, though…

And Hau wants a battle... He sends out his starter, which happens to be Water Type. Unfortunately, Tiger's in the lead… I switch him out for Conduct, and he barely survives a Z-move using Sturdy… I try to heal, but my opponent uses Bubblebeam and nearly destroys Conduct. Lucky gets sent out instead, taking my opponent down to about half HP.

Shockingly, Hau into a Pokémon called Noibat. That Pokémon is fairly weak, but has moves that can do super effective damage to Lucky... However, also being a Fairy, Lucky can do extra damage to it as well… One Fairy Wind is enough to take it down.

His next Pokémon is Flareon, and Tiger is brought out again… The opponent tries to use Fire Fang, but doesn't do a whole lot of damage… Of course, Tigers bite doesn't do much damage either... I go with Take Down and eventually win… However, the opponent does cause enough injuries where I need to heal… His starter is sent out next, but proves no match for Lucky. Hau's next Pokémon is Raichu, the Alolan variant. I switch out Tiger into Lucky, making the mental note to use Jenny if things get too rough…

Unfortunately, they do, with Lucky being defeated by Psychic… However, he manages to launch a Leech Seed. I instead throw in Conduct, since it can resist all of Raichu's moves… I quickly heal it up, and it takes about half HP damage from a Psychic. Leech Seed makes it stronger, and I set up Light Screen to further protect myself from attacks… As expected, Psychic doesn't do too much damage, but neither does my only move Mirror Shot... However, Leech Seed does its deadly work, wearing the opponent down even when I can't attack. Eventually, Conduct wins the match.

And the last Pokémon is Tauros… That can be difficult to deal with… I send in the Tiger, but quickly retreat for Luz. Two Brick Breaks are all it takes to bring my opponent to its knees… After that fight, I get the Z-Cyrstal for Lycanroc. It's pretty strong, but I doubt I will be using it… Also, Conduct tries to learn Electro Ball, but I don't let it. However, Tiger does learn Flame Burst.

So my next area is the Garden… There are many Bug and Water Type Pokémon to catch… Most come easily, but there is a pair of Ariados that cause trouble by injuring Tiger with Fury Swipes and Shadow Sneak. Not to mention Meowth that prevent Conduct from running away… And then a pair of Psyduck that defeat him with Water Pulse.

Conduct does evolve during all this, and does have another form. However, I will have to travel a bit more to see it… I also capture a Poliwhirl. Another good Water Type that could prove a suitable replacement for Sprinter, but I will see…

Now, time to explore around the gardens and battle lots of Trainers… Luz also learns Take Down here. Finally, time to meet up with the professor… Dialogue is most the same, other than the mention of the Ultra Recon Squad. Also, I'm really starting to like Hau… His dialogue is hilarious… Also, it appears Lillie wants to head to the library… I decide to follow her…

And instead stumble onto a really cool event! There's something called the Kantoian Gym. For a small fee, the player can pay to battle their way through the area. As the name implies, this is based off of Gyms and their Leaders from previous titles. If the player defeats all the Trainers, they can challenge the Leader. Defeating the Leader gets the players something called the Surge Badge, and a bunch of useful items. I've also heard that different things can happen later on in the game… The gym itself is based off of Surge's, hence the name. I have to say I really like this homage to the other games, and this is how I wish the trials could have gone… The trials looked pretty, but were far too simple… And even though the Gyms may have been repetitive, they were challenging… If the Gyms and the trials were combined, it would be perfect…

After finishing that up, I decide to head to the outer Cape… There's not much there, but it's good experience, and unlocks a quest later. I start fighting the Trainers, but they are tough… Tiger nearly falls to a pair of Trubbish, so I retreat to the Pokémon Center. It is where I will stay until the next update, as I continue to explore the game's second half…

**Day 18 (April 8, 2018)**

Some more fun in the Ultra Sun! Time to explore a recycling plant, and hopefully, unlock a quest! After heading to the garden to catch more bugs, Tiger tries to learn Agility, but I don't let him.

It seems like there's that same event with the head of the recycling plant and his son… Looks like I have to take them on, so I test out Sprinter. He's pretty strong, but I have to make sure to keep him healthy, because if I don't, he will automatically switch out… Also, Sprinter tries to learn Sucker Punch, but doesn't. I never got this quest anyway... It's true that the boy shows more drive after battling the player, but he still lacks confidence and skill to take over the plant…

Anyway, that's all I can do, so back to the library… The scene from the library is pretty much the same, except it mentions one who devours the light (Necrozma) and battling the Island Guardians and winning before mentioning the text about the legendary Pokémon present in the original… It's very interesting, if not little creepy…

And it becomes night, so different Pokémon will appear… Currently, I'm waiting in front of the trees, but it's rather annoying, because I have to wait until a tree shakes, and even then, the Pokémon is still random… However, with this, I able to catch Skarmory, one of the best Steel Types in the game. Not sure if I will use it, but is there if I need to… Also, Lucky does a bunch of damage to an Octillery, but nearly gets defeated by Aurora Beam. Luckily, there is a win… Also, there is a woman who needs help with her Stufful. If the player finds them all, she gives good money. Needless to say, I do this quest…

Looks like the Team Skull Grunts are holding up the bus stop… Time to beat them… Unfortunately, one has a Houndour that does a lot of damage to Tiger with a critical Bite. Luckily, I win... The other has a Golbat, but that's no problem… In a few seconds, the bus takes me up to the next mountain, and the professor shows an absolutely beautiful cutscene of where the League will be held. Pity it can't be viewed again, because that view is really pretty…

Anyway, I decide to head south to fight some Trainers and Pokémon, before heading to where the Trial is held. The catches are pretty easy about from Pokémon called Minior that keeps self-destructing repeatedly… Needless to say, I name it Blow up… And that's it for now… Shorter update, but that's because of all the parties…

**Day 19 (June 13, 2018)**

Been a while, but that's because I've been working on my other series called Traveler. It's going well, but I'm hoping to finish this soon… Many other stories, including some entries in Traveler, are affected by it… Anyway, off to the next trial…

So lots of new Pokémon games have been announced in the interim, including Pokémon Let's Go and Pokémon Generation 8. I'm interested to see what Generation 8 will be like, although it will take a while to come… Especially interested because the Switch is a more high-powered device, or at least, appears to be… There's also Pokémon Quest, which is quickly shaping up to be one of my favorite games of the year…

But back to this game… Electric trial is next, but not for some battles and other things…

First things first, time to fight the battles in the south… They're not that tough, but Luz is injured by Double Edge… Also, it appears that Kukui and Molayne are old traveling buddies. Their conversation about the Masked Man is still funny, though… Also, it appears Molayne no longer battles the player in front of the observatory. Perhaps that is a hint he will battle later… Speaking of battles, an Oranguru injures Jenny with Thrash. Perhaps these opponents are tougher than I thought…

But that's not the only thing to notice... One thing that catches my eye is Sophocles's trial. It appears be quite a bit different, and I have to go gather all the Charjabug. Unfortunately, they're all eating… Time to interrupt their dinner… But before that, there is one more Trainer to fight… A Z power user… He's not that strong, although he does we can Jenny with his Persian. Strangely enough, he doesn't use his Z-power… In fact, he's easily defeated by Brick Break…

On a side note, I thought that the number-based names for the Charjabug were hilarious.

Had a lot of trouble finding the last one though... I kept running all the way down the road, only to realize it was behind the truck near the beginning of place... Great job me…

And on to the trial… It's much different from its previous incarnations… The player has to connect the Charjabug in a line by pressing buttons and rotating panels. After doing this enough times, the Totem Pokémon will come… Also worth noting that every time the player successfully makes a line, a Pokémon will attack. Well, let's get to it… I have to say, this is more interesting than the other trial where it was answering simple questions… And it looks prettier too…

Of course, I mess up a few times… I'm not that good at puzzles like this… But I enjoy it more, because it's actually challenging… Speaking of actually challenging, the last puzzle took forever… Mainly because I didn't realize I have to line things up diagonally… And the game doesn't tell me either… And at least I got it done…

Now, time to face the Totem… Which turns out to be Togedemaru… Hopefully, it will be easier than Vikavolt… And this is interesting… The machine malfunctions, causing Togedemaru to absorb all electricity and become the Totem. Strangely enough, it plays the Ultra Beast music before the fight… Perhaps to show that Totems and Beasts are connected… Whatever the case, I now have to fight…

And Togedemaru gets a huge defense boost, along with using Spiky Shield to protect itself from my attacks… On top of that, it summons an annoying Scarmory to use Stealth Rock and Torment… Luckily, Tiger's Flame Burst is a special move, but Torment makes it so it can't use it twice in a row… On top of that, Stealth Rock means that it will take damage of about half HP every time it comes back in… A single move from Togemaru takes out half of its HP… This definitely won't be as easy as I thought…

And it isn't long before Togedemaru takes down Tiger… I send in Jenny, desperately hoping she can hold her own… I didn't think much of Togedemaru before this… But now I want to use one… I keep using Foul Play, but doesn't do much damage, mainly due to the defense boost… On the flip side, Togedemaru doesn't do much damage either… Here's hoping I can outlast it…

And it calls an annoying ally Pokémon… This time it's Dedenne… At least this isn't as bad as Skarmory… Except the ally has Super Fang, which does a ton of damage by reducing my HP by half of the maximum… I think this may be the first Totem battle where I prioritize the allies first, just because of annoying they are… I finally managed to take down the ally, after many healings and Super Fangs, but Jenny is left injured… I'm going to keep it that way, simply because I have a better idea with one of my teammates doing more damage to the opponent…

Jenny goes down on the next turn, and I send in Luz. Luz has a type advantage, which means she has plenty of offensive power. Her unique ability also allows her to defend against the Totem's attacks. I have to be careful, however, because she is weak to the Totem's allies.

And it appears the enemy has Bounce. It does increased damage, but not a whole lot. It also paralyzes Luz, but that does not stop her. Finally, I can take the Totem down with Brick Break. I hope I never have to do a fight like that again… That was by far the most annoying one I've seen…

And Sophocles introduces me to the Battle Agency… It works a lot like battle rental agencies from previous games, although the player is required to use the people on their friends list to fight. It is also required for the postgame mission, so I believe if the player has not set up Festival Plaza at this time, the game will prompt the player to. Still not something I'm using, though…

Anyway, looks like Kukui forgot his mask… Off to Malie Garden to go deliver it… And I run into Guzma… He's still the same as usual, but I'm expecting him to be pretty tough… Oh, and I love his theme. Hated it at first, but then it grew on me… And it's nice to see Kukui being so calm with Guzma. It really shows how much the personalities contrast… Anyway, time for a fight…

And he proves to be tough, almost taking lucky in one hit with First Impression… Thankfully, Lucky does some damage back, but it's not enough to make him switch out… Or least I think it's not... He switches right into a Masquerain, which Lucky can't do much too… Switching out to Tiger… Only to get defeated immediately by Air Slash… I think I'll use the move Relearner to have Tiger learn his good moves early and evolve him after this… He desperately needs some better stats…

Conduct manages to pull off a Thundershock, but gets defeated in two hits by Bug Buzz. Sprinter doesn't do much better, landing First Impression, but being destroyed by Air Slash.

I try to have Luz save the day again, but she gets defeated by Air Slash. Desperate, I throw out Lucky. By some miracle, I pull out Stun Spore before for my opponent attacks, and it was paralyzed twice... Then I was able to defeat with two Fairy Winds. I try to use the same strategy against his Golisopod, but I get destroyed by First Impression… Time to start reviving people…

I revive Conduct and Luz. He uses Razor Shell and Sucker Punch. It at least allows Jenny to get a hit in with Aerial Ace. Conduct gets sent out and has a chance to successfully use Thunder Wave, but afterward gets hit by a Razor Shell. Thundershock does a lot of damage, and the foe is paralyzed afterward. Finally, Conduct can finish it off. And not a moment too soon… I can't believe Guzma almost beat my team… I think I may need to switch some members out…

Swiftly, I give Tiger Outrage, Flamethrower, and Crunch. He evolves into Arcanine immediately afterward. Hopefully this should boost my team's durability… There's a person who can heal at the beginning of this route, and several new Pokémon to catch. Unfortunately, Shiinotic proves hard to get. Eventually, I do capture it. Also, hilariously, it lets me name it Dope…

And Rotom gives me the ability to double prize money automatically… How nice of it… I use it to crush every Trainer before moving on… Also, there's a man being trained by a Bewear here… I get a TM after being them… It's just Payback, but it's not all that good at this point… Also worth knowing that Luz takes on almost all the Trainers by herself… Most certainly a good Pokémon…

And onto Route 12, one of my favorite areas in the game… I always liked the idea of riding around the rocky areas with a Musdale… Also, Conduct learns Flash Cannon, a very good move indeed. Tiger gets injured by a Korkrock's Dig. At least the thing is fragile…

After brought halfway down the route, I make it to Blush Mountain. There's some new Pokémon here, but the most important thing is this is where Conduct can evolve. This only occurs in the Ultra games, however. It's a relief, because otherwise the player had to wait until near the end of the game to evolve Pokémon like Conduct… Even though gets injured by some Elekid, it manages to evolve. Also, I capture every creature in Blush Mountain before moving on. I'm going to need to go shopping soon… I'm running low on catching supplies…

I carelessly throw Jenny against a Porygon, and she's nearly defeated by Signal Beam… Oops… Luckily, I still beat all the Trainers and earn the right to challenge the Z-power user. He nearly beats Tiger with Pinsir's Brick Break, but I still get the victory, and the TM for Dragon Tail for my troubles. Off to Route 13… It's not so much a route as it is a resting spot, and I quickly breeze through it…

The real attraction is Tapu Village. It's near the next trial, but before I take two steps in, the Ultra Recon squad appears… They talk about the history of Necrozma, how their ancestors grew greedy and hacked off part of its body… Now it's enraged, and constantly wants light… What doesn't make much sense is that why can't people calm it down instead of containing it in a structure that will eventually break? Someone must've figured out something after so much time has passed… Perhaps giving it an infinite source of light, or even finding the body part that was broken off… And is it truly malicious or just misunderstood? The game flips back and forth on it… It's one thing I don't really like about the story unfortunately, especially since there is plenty of evidence to support both interpretations… The new story seems to be interesting, but there's just not a lot of things that make sense or are underdeveloped… Like the two members of the squad that are never seen depending on player's version, for one…

But the next trial will have to wait for next time, as I decide to rest at the village for the night.

**Day 20 (July 6, 2018)**

Haven't played this game in a while because Holly Rising is nearing completion… Hopefully, I will able to finish it once that completes…

And I'm out of practice… I mistook an Alolan Marowak for a regular one and sent Lucky out against a Fire Type… Oh, and I forgot about the little animation that happens on someone's birthday… I was wondering why my game was freezing and went dark for a few seconds, before the balloons, cake, and special music went on… I always loved the little animation… It was a nice touch…

And here I finally meet Acerola… She's my favorite of the Alola captains, because of her looks, specialized type, and quirky but mature personality. However, I always found her taking care of children in the Aether House weird because she's not much older than they are…

I had a close call where I had Lucky up against a Gyarados. I switched in Conduct only to get almost destroyed by Aqua Tail in the rain... Thankfully, it was only used once... I went to go save someone from some Frillish. I captured one of them and named her Sarah. Also, finally time to say goodbye to Sprinter… His typing is not that great, the Ability makes him very hard to use, and he's slow... Frillish on the other hand has great Typing and a lot of defense…

Also, Lucky gets injured by repeated attacks, and there's a Trainer I don't see... I switch in Lucky on a Wishcash without healing and nearly got killed by Earth Power. I also pit Luz against a Honchkrow, taking two Aerial Aces, and surviving with one HP. Thankfully, I take it down with Brick Break. I encounter a Tentacruel and decide to capture it for experience… Unfortunately, it calls for help and the duo ends up making Lucky and Sarah faint with Acid Spray and Bubblebeam... I still manage to capture it, though.

Acerola's trial is my favorite, mainly because it's both creepy and having Pokémon hanging out in an abandoned marketplace can lead to some pretty funny scenarios… Just imagine Pokémon running the different areas in the marketplace, or even doing crazy things like ghosts are typically seen doing… My favorite Pokémon is here too, although I can't catch it now…

The trial goes the same, although there is a new scene where Totem Pokemon impersonates Acerola... Rather creepy… Off to fight Mimikyu, otherwise known as the most annoying Totem Pokémon ever... Not only does its Ability allow to get a free hit, but it also has really good stats, and a very good typing.

I lead with Lucky, and try to paralyze it. Unfortunately, I miss with Stun Spore and get hit with Play Rough. I realize that Lucky can't survive another hit, so I fire off Leech Seed and I am successful. The Totem calls in Banette and I send in Jenny. Unfortunately, I forget the foe has Leech Life and get defeated immediately... I manage to pull off a Thunder Wave with Conduct but get hit by Shadow Claw and Screech. I also forget that foe has a Lum Berry and get hit by another Shadow Claw. I manage to pull Thunder Wave off successfully, but get defeated by Shadow Claw and Curse next turn.

Tiger breaks the disguise with Flamethrower but takes a critical Shadow Claw and Feint Attack. Feint Attack and Shadow Claw take Tiger down, but the Totem is pretty worn down from Crunch. Luz takes a hit from Play Rough and gets burned from Will-O-Wisp, but takes the Totem down with Leech Seed and Shadow Claw. I heal, Luz gets burned again by Will-O-Wisp… However, Feint Attack barely does any damage, and Luz still defeats the foe with Shadow Claw.

I caught a Mimikyu after wandering around. I decided to name her Abigail and box Lucky. Lucky's status moves are useful, but the offensive output leaves much to be desired, and he doesn't have many diverse moves otherwise… I start training Abigail, but realize I need some new moves… It's getting late, so I will handle that next time…


	88. Land of the Ultra Sun: Part 4

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Day 21 (August 15, 2018)**

Off to go out again after Holly Rising received more updates… Shouldn't be too much longer before that's complete… I also worked on another game called Flight Rising... A couple stories associated with that, but I needed to finish a challenge run before I could do them… One of the runs is now going on, but it doesn't require me to actively play the game too much due to the mechanics… But that's neither here nor there…

On another topic, Abigail has completed training. I taught her Play Rough by transferring her to one of the other files, and also Swords Dance. Someone thought it would be good idea to place it in an area only accessible after the game is cleared instead of keeping it at its original location in Malie City… Regardless, I move on…

…and get attacked by Plumeria… She's a few levels higher than me, and it shows when her team does major damage… Sarah barely survives a Wing Attack from Golbat, and Tiger gets weakened from a bunch of Poison Fangs… Eventually, he manages to win with Flamethrower and Extremespeed, but then gets taken down by Salazzle… I put in Sarah, only to switch around for Abigail. I need the experience, and luckily Salazzle uses Dragon Pulse. Thankfully, Abigail resists and starts doing damage back with Shadow Claw. But then, she's pretty badly injured by Sludge Bomb. Perhaps some training is in order…

Anyway, time to head out on the waves to Po Town… And I encounter Grimsely from the Unova games! I get challenged to a coin toss battle, which I win. And that gives me the ability to move quickly across water and smash rocks in my way. It's rather funny that he challenges the player to a gambling match considering I'm really lucky at but dislike casinos in real life… Some members of my family think it's hilarious… Also, Grimsley looks pretty haggard… I wonder what happened to him in between games…

And Jenny gets injured by a Tentacruel… Her Type combo and Ability are really good, but she's fairly frail… And Jenny and Sarah get injured by a pair of Frillish using Surf. The enemy has the brilliant idea of using Surf and having both Pokémon use Water Absorb to restore HP. It's annoying, at the very least… It also has Ominous Wind to deal super effective damage to Sarah. Luckily, she survives… Thankfully, I can heal… Meanwhile, Luz has an incident with a Wigglytuff. I forgot that Wigglytuff are part Fairy and sent Luz against one… Poor Pokémon got nearly destroyed… At least it was defeated with two Brick Breaks…

Also, I sent out Jenny against a Sandshrew… Unfortunately, she gets hit by Ice Ball twice, which does a lot of damage thanks to move increasing in power with each successful hit. She defeats the foe, but then comes up against a Haunter which somehow knows Dark Pulse. Jenny flinches, unfortunately, getting injured and requiring me to heal… And she then nearly gets destroyed by two Shadow Balls… I really want to keep her on the team, but at this point, it doesn't sound promising…

Looks like there's an event in the Center here… A Team Skull member's is hoarding all the drinks, and he won't let others pass unless he's defeated in battle! Luckily, he only has a single Trubbish so he's easy pickings for the likes of Jenny, And then of course he gets a stomach ache from drinking too much… That's what happens when you hoard all the drinks, no matter what they are… Actually, considering what drinks can be, a stomach ache could the least of someone's problems… Anyway, defeating him gives me a Moomoo Milk

and there's a TM under the base in the route, just like before. However, there is also a Trainer. Pretty clever, as she talks about this being a Secret Base… It's the perfect spot for one, and also a good throwback… And she uses Mimikyu, which is also nice, since in the original games, it didn't show up at all outside of its fight in the Thrifty Megamart…

Also, Luz gets injured from recoil and an Alolan Muk. And then I get into the Poison/Minimize combo… I really need to find a better move for her… At least the foe was taken down quickly…

And here's one of the massive changes in the version… The house I spoke of before is home to Sina and Dexio in original games. They activate a sidequest during which the player must find cells and cores scattered across the region. Once the player finds at least 10, they can come here and assemble a Zygarde. Zygarde will be in a different form and weaker, but is usable throughout the game. Once the player collects 50 of these cells, they will be able to change Zygarde into the form seen in the X and Y games. However, this form cannot be taken until near the end of the game, or even past it... If the player collects all cells and cores, a special Zygarde will be made that has the ability called Power Construct. Power Construct allows Zygarde to reach an even more powerful form once it has lost at least half of its HP. This is the only way to get Zygarde in the original games. Needless to say, it's one of the most tedious sidequests ever, and I'm glad it was removed here… Now, Zygarde appears like a regular legendary Pokémon… Unfortunately, this also makes it so it's not available until after the main game is cleared… However, there is still a man here that wonders if Zygarde is in my party. I'm assuming that this is the person that will allow Zygarde to change forms… Now I'm wondering what will happen if I show him that Pokémon before I'm allowed to do that normally… Luckily, I have some Zygarde from my time in Sun and Moon. It's easy to just transfer one over…

And it appears to me that doesn't do anything… What the player needs to do is capture Zygarde normally, and then they will receive 10% Zygarde and the remaining cells of the gift. Then, they can assemble a complete form. Pity this isn't until the end of the game… But I still want to use the Pokémon now, because I've always loved the 10% form, and it still fairly good. I have a lot of them, so I can spare one… This Zygarde is named Doggy because it looks like a giant dog. It doesn't have any Dragon Type moves, but that's just as well, because Dragon isn't a good type offensively, and I don't think it learns any natural moves that can take advantage of its higher attack stat. It does have two powerful Ground Type moves, though. I'll put it on the team…

Also, time to say farewell to Tiger. He's was good, but he's just not keeping up anymore, and I've used Arcanine many times before. Luckily, Doggy takes his place. Doggy a bit under leveled, however, so it's off to train… The Abandoned Mart is just the ticket… Typically, the Pokémon there evade ground type attacks. However, Doggy's Land's Wrath can hit Pokémon that typically wouldn't be hit by those attacks. So it makes it the perfect place to train… Doggy also gets Dragon Tail, Brick Break, and Façade. This should help with the moveset… Unfortunately, it looks like Pokémon that have Levitate can't be hit by Land's Wrath. Luckily, there's still Blush Mountain, with its many Fire and Electric type Pokémon.

And this, combined with the traded Pokémon experience boost, easily gets Doggy to the level of the others. Next time, I will continue on with my new team in hand…

**Day 22 (August 16, 2018)**

Back at the route 16 Center… And now to continue the journey to Po Town, one of the most interesting places in all of the series…

The meadow is next, and it's very pretty… One of my favorite places in the game... Not much to do here other than catch evolved Pokémon of previous forms and beat up some Trainers. However, I still like the place, and there's also the altar, which is really cool… Too bad it's not relevant until much later…

And Faba's here… He wasn't here in the original games, and is still annoying and is obviously evil as ever… I have to say out of all the character changes in this from the original games, his is one of my least favorite… But enough about that, time to explore!

Poor Sarah has some issues with a Floette constantly healing itself and using Magical Leaf. She can't do enough damage even with Hydro Vortex and faints. Thankfully, Doggy comes in and takes out with Land's Wrath.

Poor Sarah also gets taken down with a Sucker Punch… I forgot that Komala has high attack… Once again, Doggy to the rescue… Poor Sarah can't catch a break…

Abagail also gets injured by a Wishmocott's Dazzling Gleam. It's not long after I caught her, so she's still a bit frail…

Also, I found something interesting in the battle… I was against an Oricorio with Abigail and decided to use Swords Dance. Immediately after I took my turn, the ability Dancer activated, and Oricorio used Swords Dance before attacking normally. It still was defeated but it was pretty interesting, considering I haven't ever seen that ability activate before… Perhaps I should give that Pokémon a try sometime…

Also, there was a hilarious battle against the Flame Orb Trainer… First, his Hariyama attacked Abigail with Knock Off, which was a good move. But then he attacked with Fake Out, which wouldn't have worked either way, especially since Abigail's immune… I've no idea why the AI decided to do that…

And on to Route 17… It's always raining here, which means there will be various effects in battle… One of which is that water moves will be powered up… Something that Sarah can appreciate, and probably needs. Also, I found the TM for Rock Slide here. A lot of people on my team can learn it, so I quickly teach it to Doggy and Luz. And poor Sarah barely survives a Pawnaird's Assurance in a double battle. Thankfully, she delivers back with Hydro Vortex…

After this, Nanu is seen for the first time… He's an interesting character, but I have mixed feelings about him… He's implied to suffer from PTSD and/or depression, which is why he is passive for most of the game, despite being right in the thick of where the action takes place. It makes sense in the game, but it's also fairly annoying from a story perspective… And in the traveler series where people get angry at authority figures who don't do their job, I can see him being one of the first targets, and there being some ugly results… Interestingly, in Traveler, he is an Elite Four member, so he has to keep the peace in the regions. He is still fairly passive about it though… And people still get mad… Also worth noting that in the game lore, he's above Anabel in the International Police Force. In the Traveler series, Anabel's above him, being the head of almost the entire force, due to her prowess in battle along with her long history as a police officer already before she joined. It makes for an interesting turn of events…

Also, finally at Po Town… Love the music and atmosphere here… It's really kind of both dark and sad, but not overly so… To think that kids live in this desolate and destitute town, just because they weren't able to make it as Pokémon Trainers… And there's many people banded together to survive because there were in the same situation, and the town is so poor that the Pokémon Center charges the player for using it and will heal them despite being enemies… It really starts to show the darker side of the world that relies only on Pokémon training or power with Pokémon… Basically showing what happens to those that are left behind, and it also shows the consequences of being so desperate that they look to anyone that will acknowledge them… It's why they're also loyal to Aether, even though that might not be the best choice…

Speaking of choices, there's the less supported interpretation that they had a choice about what they did, but some of the events after the game is cleared bring that interpretation into question and give the implication that everyone was busy ignoring them for their antics, and didn't realize how desperate of a situation they were in… I feel like makes them the most interesting of all the villain teams, because actually have a background and reason for doing what they did… Anyway, I still have to fight them, so through the town I go…

Also, I used a Rock Slide on a double battle against a Raticate and a Golbat instead of Brick Break, and I didn't even hit my intended target, and Doggy got injured from Crunch and Leech Life. Not my brightest moment there... Also worth noting that I tried using Land's Wrath again on a Golbat, but didn't do anything… I finally realized that I was confusing it for Thousand Arrows, another attack that Zygarde can learn later on that does damage to those that would typically be immune to Ground Types… In the original games, if certain criteria were fulfilled, the player could have this move almost as soon as they got Zygarde. Unfortunately, I never fulfilled the criteria when I transferred mine over, so I only have Land's Wrath… At least I figured it out…

Also worth noting that heading into the house, I realize that they're using Alolan Grimer as a swimming pool cleaner… Clever, game, very clever… I wonder if anyone actually goes in that pool… Also, Sarah nearly gets destroyed by Houndour's Feint Attack… She almost destroys it with a Brine, but not quite... Hopefully, she'll get stronger when she evolves…

And Conduct gets taken down with a critical High Jump Kick. Thankfully, I have revives, but I hate getting unlucky… Also, poor Conduct gets injured by a Haunter's Shadow Ball. And Confuse Ray proves to be annoying… Luckily, I have many more powerful Pokémon…

And I found Sludge bomb in one of the rooms. May as well teach to Sarah now, although I don't know if I'll keep it long-term… Also worth noting that the passwords are slightly different… They are based on what Plumeria likes rather than Guzma… Wonder why that is, since I don't think Plumeria's any more important in this game…

Also my Pokémon have a tough time against a Team Skull Grunt. Sarah gets taken out by Assurance from a Pawniard, and Jenny by Leech Life from a Golbat. I've gotten quite a few Totem Stickers, so I think I should do that side quest to see if I can get some more Pokémon…

Anyway, it's time to fight Guzma… He starts out with Golisopod, and normally what he trys to do is Swords Dance and First Impression. He can end up doing a lot of damage, but can also be forced out if his Pokémon reaches half HP or less. I lead with Doggy in hopes of making that happen… Unfortunately, First Impression gets up first, and Doggy taken down in one hit. Conduct comes in after that, although I'm thinking I may restart and do a different combo…

Turns out there's no need, because Conduct launches a critical Thundershock that forces his Pokémon out. Pinsir is put into the lead. I used Thunder Wave to cripple it, but he launches a critical hitting move called Storm Throw. It nearly destroys Conduct, but I've done what I needed to do… I cripple him further with Flash Cannon before falling to Storm Throw.

And then I send out Abigail. Abigail works wonderfully for Guzma because it disrupts his favorite combo because she also disrupts first impression or Swords Dance. The reason for this is Disguise will take the hit, and First Impression can only be used in the turn his Pokémon enters. Furthermore, even if he uses Swords Dance, avid also can take the hit and can retaliate with her own attacks that also include Swords Dance. If she sets up on another Pokémon, she has more than enough power to take out his most powerful on her own… So I set up with Swords Dance and wait for the carnage to begin…

Using Swords Dance boost my attack up, but he has a move called Throat Chop that goes through Disguise… I need to finish this quickly… I tried using Leech Life to heal Abigail, but it doesn't do a lot of damage… She barely survives another Throat Chop… Luckily, I have a lot of healing items, so I use some of those until the paralysis kicks in, they go for the kill with Shadow Claw.

He uses Masquerian, which lowers my attack with Intimidate. Swords Dance boosts my attack back up, but I get hit with Air Slash… While Abigail almost destroys his Pokémon with Shadow Claw, he destroys her with Air Slash. He then proceeds to destroy most of the rest of my team with the move. Sarah luckily survives the hit and defeats the Pokémon with Shadow Ball. But now I need to think of another strategy and fast… I use a Max Revive on Conduct, knowing it's my best chance of defeating Golisopod. Luckily, it defeats it with two Thundershocks despite taking a Razor Shell. That match was way too close… Hopefully the rest of my matches aren't like that… For the record, Guzma's Pokémon were higher than mine, early 40s compared to my late 30s… Perhaps I need to train somewhere…

And Nanu and Acerola have a talk after this... I always found the relationship interesting… She seems to be innocently oblivious to his issues, or at least pretending to be... And Nanu acts tough, but it's clear he cares about her…

Also got some Pokémon in the beach by presenting the stickers to Samson Oak. Unfortunately, it's only a Gumshoos, a Marowak, and a Lunarantis… Nothing I need right now… Off I head to the next area… Which happens to be the desert… I don't actually need to go here until much later, but I'm going here now just to get some Pokémon and experience. There's not much to do here, so I quickly head out… And into a battle with Gladion… Seems like Lillie left for the Aether Foundation, and he is not happy about that… Guess this means a fight…

He sends out a Golbat that's a few levels higher than me… Luckily, Jenny is in front…

Unfortunately, Acrobatics weakens her. So I switch out to Conduct and take another hit. Luckily, Golbat can't do much damage and is defeated with Thundershock. Type: Null and Sarah go up against each other. Unfortunately, I find out it's actually Zoroark as Sarah barely survives a Snarl… I quickly switch out for Luz and he switches out for his actual Type: Null. It injures Luz with Crush Claw, but is destroyed with Brick Break… Now, it's Zoroark against Doggy. Zoroark injures Doggy with Hyper Voice, to the point where it only has one HP… Luckily, Doggy wins with Brick Break.

And then I have to fight Nanu… Luckily, I get automatically healed… Nanu leads with Sableye, and I with Abigail. I use Swords Dance, but get hit by Shadow Ball. Play Rough takes care of Sableye in one hit, but his next Pokémon, Krokorok, takes care of Abigail in one hit with Earthquake. He then tries to use Swagger, but is defeated by Brick Break.

His last Pokémon is Alolan Persian. I heal the confusion and he wastes a Fake Out. After that, both Pokémon get injured by Brick Break and Dark Pulse respectively, both heal, and then Persian is defeated by Brick Break after injuring Luz again.

Now, it's time to storm Aether for one of my favorite parts of this generation… However, there are some things I have to do first… First of which involves a new team member… There's a Pokémon that Gladion uses, Type Null. That Pokémon has the ability to evolve into another Pokémon called Silvally. Silvally is interesting in that it can become any one of the 18 types due to a special ability, as long as it is holding certain items. Right now, I'm in need of a Water Type, and that Pokémon is just the ticket… The reason I didn't do this until now is because I wanted to test out Sarah's potential. Unfortunately, the double Typing is doing more harm than good, and she's pretty frail… So I don't think I will use her anymore… However, getting Type: Null in my party takes some doing…

For starters, the player cannot typically get Type Null until after the main game is cleared. However, I have that Pokémon from the previous playthroughs of Sun and Moon. In Ultra Sun, Type: Null comes at level 60. However, in the original games, it comes at level 40. It also needs one level to evolve. Typically, raising Type: Null to evolve is difficult because it starts with absolutely no friendship. However, if the player has leveled up Festival Plaza enough, there should be plenty of places to increase the Pokémon's friendship. This, along with the Soothe Bell, can allow Type Null to evolve easily. Luckily, I have both of those things… The next thing complicating matters is that Type Null needs to hold the proper item to become the Type I need it to… Items cannot be transferred over in Pokémon Bank, so I need another way of trading… Luckily, there is one in the form of the GTS… All I need is a Pokémon that is difficult to find on one version, and the Pokémon and the Pokémon I'm trading away on another… Luckily, I have a level 100 female Salamance that I used for this purpose, so she'll be acting as that Pokémon. Finally, it's worth noting that this Silvally does not have a nickname in the game, and unfortunately, because it's from another one, I can't change it. So in this log, his name will be Victor.

So I forgot my Salamance was male and had to rewrite my request… Furthermore, I had a few errors before trading that delayed things a bit… Luckily, the trade still went through and Victor is on my team… I gave him a few Heart Scales, so the moves he knows are Ice Fang, Multi-attack, X-scissor, and Air Slash. He's a bit higher level than everyone else at the moment, so it will be a little bit before I use him…

The other thing I have to do has to do with an item for a current party member… There is an adorable cutscene where the player has to go back into the Thrifty Megamart. If they do, Mimikyu leads them to the place where it was fought originally. It will be there with a Pikachu. It then gives the player the choice of whether to pet it or Pikachu. If the player chooses to pet Mimikyu, it will leave a species exclusive Z crystal that powers up Play Rough. This will be useful later on, so I'm going to grab it now… For the record, I would always pick Mimikyu. It's much cuter, and my favorite Pokémon… Not to mention it's much better in battle than Pikachu… Generation Eight on the switch is going to have to try hard to surpass that… And I think with the way Mimikyu works it will always be good, since it doesn't have many weaknesses, and Substitute is a skill that comes with without using move slots, and that's always very good in the competitive department. Anyway, there's one more quest I can do right now… Or rather, I thought I could… Perhaps I have to wait until this next story event is over… Anyway, back to Aether…

First battle is already intense… Jenny is injured by a Dugtrio with Dig, but manages to win using Foul Play. Thank goodness Dugtrio are so frail… An interesting scenario comes into play with one of the other employees. Jenny gets hurt by a Parasect using Fury Cutter despite taking down two hits with Aerial Ace. What happened back there is there's a Drifblem with Shadow Ball. It's defeated in two hits by Foul Play, but nearly defeats Jenny with its own attacks. After it is defeated, Aftermath activates, and Jenny takes more damage. The result is a double knockout, not something seen very much… Not particularly favorable either, but interesting to see… Doggy also gets injured by Sucker Punch from a Sudowoodo. Thankfully, it's defeated by Land's Wrath. Also, I use a Rare Candy found here, and Jenny learns Psycho Cut. It's a bit better than what she currently has, so hopefully that will increase her performance…

And I have to battle Faba… Hopefully I can beat him down easily… He has a single Hypno, but it still puts up a fight… It puts Doggy to sleep, then weakens it with Psychic... Thankfully, I can switch in Jenny... She destroys him easily after that. After that, there's a place to heal and switch out Pokémon. Good thing too, because I'm ready to be done for the night… Next time, I will be ready to storm Aether and get to the last island of the game…

**Day 23 (August 17, 2018)**

Off to continue storming Aether… Time to show them what I'm made of…

I love Rotom's speech here about Po Town looking safe and welcoming while doing all this… It fits the atmosphere perfectly while at the same time being hilarious… Also have to wonder how bunch of kids could do so much when there's a hideout with bigger, stronger, adults all over the place. They should be instantly stopped, but they're not… To be fair, most of the adults aren't good at fighting, and the few that are don't really fight unless they have no other choice… They can't afford to be fighting constantly because they're the heads of the foundation… So it makes a bit of sense… At least more sense than any of the other Pokémon games…

And there is a Muk that decides to be super annoying… It poisons pretty much everyone that goes up against it, and injures Doggy twice even after healing… At least Luz could take it down… There's also an annoying Magneton that I try to switch into with Doggy, but uses Flash Cannon. It also survives Land's Wrath thanks to Sturdy, and takes out Doggy. Thankfully, it's too weak to do much else. There's also a battle between a fierce Porygon 2 and Conduct. Thankfully, Conduct wins despite being injured.

Looks like I need to find Lusamine… Also, I think Gladion's dialogue about her here is a little less harsh than in the original games… But it's been a while since I played this part, so I can't be sure… And before that, another battle with Faba… Or maybe not... I thought he battle the player at this point in the original game, but I may have been mistaken… Either way, I have to battle, but this time it's a pair of regular trainers with Gladion… Also, I tried Mimikyu's Z move for the first time… It's hilarious, and completely demolishes the opponent... Too bad it's only usable once per battle, but it makes the whole side quest worth doing…

Anyway, now Faba attacks… Also worth noting that I am automatically healed in between battles… That's useful… Faba has another employee with him, but said employee is nothing special… Also, I'm teamed up with Hau… Should make things easier… It does, because he takes hits, allowing Abigail to clean up…

Time to face the remnants of Team Skull. And that includes Guzma… Hopefully he doesn't nearly beat me like the last time… That's an odd sentence taken out of context, consider who I'm facing… Anyway, he leads with Golisopod, and he's a few levels higher than me. I lead with Conduct, so that will make things easier… Conduct leads with Thundershock, but it's too weak to force his Pokémon into retreat… He uses Razor Shell, which injures Conduct. A second hit does have him retreat and bring out Pinsir. I cripple him with Thunder Wave, and Conduct goes down to Storm Throw.

Doggy comes in next. It has Rock Slide, which does decent damage and combines well with paralysis. Thanks to that, Pinsir is completely helpless as Doggy destroys it… Masquerain is my next foe, and I send in Luz to get rid of Intimidate. I tried to send in Doggy after that, but Masquerain has Icy Wind. Poor Doggy doesn't even get a hit in…

So now it's time for Victor's first battle. His Typing allows him to resist the majority of the opponent's moves, and he also has a move that's super effective. Victor does some damage, but also takes a lot in return… So I let him go down, and revive Conduct. Conduct barely survives two Bug Buzzes to get in two Thundershocks. Unfortunately, Golisopod is my next foe… Immediately, it goes down from one Thundershock. His last Pokémon is a Vikavolt. I think that's different from the Ariados he had in the original games... Either way, I keep in Conduct… There's not much more I need it to do… Vikavolt quickly destroys it.

Now is the time to play a trump card… I can use Swords Dance and my Z move to take Vikavolt down easily, so Abigail is the natural choice… Unfortunately, the foe has Flash Cannon, so I need to make this hit count… And it does, as Vikavolt is defeated… Thankfully, I believe this is the last I have to face him…

On a side note, I'm wondering how I'm going to write Silvally into the story when story wise, the player's not supposed to get Silvally until much later… Maybe it could be the third Type: Null that originally is not known about… Perhaps it follows the main character around, and then evolves to fight much later on… Maybe it escapes somehow, and Lusamine really doesn't care about it because she is too busy chasing after the other two children, and there is still a specimen remaining… It would make the most sense, considering Silvally joins the team at around Aether… Perhaps also Type: Null lives as a pet, posing as a normal doglike creature until forced to fight… Since he is not officially part of the protagonist's party, he doesn't take up a space, much like the ride Pokémon… He's grateful to the humans for giving him shelter, but still doesn't trust them or anyone who fights… Eventually, as the protagonist fights, Type: Null comes to trust humans and sympathize with the protagonist's struggle, as well as consider battling something that should be enjoyable… Eventually, when he has to do combat against his hometown, that's when he truly trusts his Trainer to lead them to victory and destroys his control mask to evolve…

As for Zygarde, there is an event where the players given a 10% form, alongside the remaining cells to put it to 100%. It's just a matter of switching that event out with what normally would have been in Route 16, and having the player received just a bit more cells to still get the 100% form. It may be Doggy is just comfortable in the form, or there are two separate Pokémon. It's probably the latter, because the other Zygarde really comes too late to matter…

But enough of that, there's a battle to fight! I have to fight the Ultra Recon Squad first… Of course, they use Poipole. I tried using Doggy, but the opponent uses X-Defense, so Doggy can't do much damage... I end up switching to Conduct after the foe uses Toxic. The foe is easily dealt with after that… Also, the Ultra Recon Squad talks about partnering with Lusamine to create a device to control Necrozma. Unfortunately, players of the original game will know that's a very bad idea… And they don't seem to care much about Cosmog either… It's a surprise, but maybe they just don't know what will happen…

And this is the confrontation between Lusamine and Lille… I think the dialogue is less harsh here, because Lusamine not being controlled… She does talk about protecting the world, but a lot remains the same… There's also bit of dialogue that doesn't make sense here… In the original games, Lillie talked about how Cosmog had a chance of dying if used its power, and begged Lusamine to find another way… Lusamine states that Cosmog will be forced to use its power and it might die, but she basically has to do so to accomplish her goals… However, in this version, Lille never says the line about Cosmog, making Lusamine's response seem to come out of nowhere… I've heard that the whole storyline between Lille and Lusamine was rushed and choppy, and unfortunately that seems to be true with just one example…

The conversation also seems to make a lot more sense in both versions if the player twists things around and pretends that Lille and Gladion are the ones manipulating people, and Lusamine is the kind one… It's true, in a sense, because Lille is the one almost literally dragging the player around, bending them to her will, making them do all the fighting and agreeing to her every request and making pretty much the entire island challenge, and forcing the player into her own conflicts… And to make matters worse, everyone sees that sympathetic, and the player's supposed to as well… And Gladion does that to you when he's introduced… They are effectively manipulating the player to solve the conflict for them, even though both are capable of fighting, even if Lille isn't initially… She could've easily capture Pokémon and gone out to stop Lusamine on her own, or have gotten one on her own, and works to overcome her fear… That story would be much more convincing than what the games have, and it would make Lillie much more sympathetic… But unfortunately, that doesn't happen because it's Pokémon and it needs a customizable protagonist… It's one of the many elements that could have been a good idea, but was executed badly… The less sympathetic portrayal is the main reason why Lillie and Gladion are villains in Traveler... They could've been very good villains in the original games too, but alas, they are on the player's side… It's a waste of potential, and the end result is getting cutscenes like this... Such a shame… At least there is fan creations…

I think in Traveler what will happen is that Lille and Gladion are angry about the way Lusamine is using Ultra Beasts and absorbed with them… This disagreement effectively takes their parents away from them, on top of the fact that Aether can't really do as much against the conflicts in the world because it's darker, and conflict is more widespread. So they start rebelling getting angry against authority as well, just like so many of the other trainers in Traveler. This causes them to go against them, and leads to the conflict seen in Traveler as they and Guzma team up to take over the region. What makes this even sadder is using the Ultra Beasts to their fullest potential is one of the ways help stop the conflict… But the two of them don't know this, are unwilling to listen, and the rest of the cast doesn't find that out until much later, and some don't even find it out at all… So in the end, Lusamine was right after all, and her children just found her self-absorbed and unwilling to listen… In the end, there was a point of what she did, but it cost her a lot, and part of her character development is trying not to blame herself…

In the Traveler series, there is a character that can cause distortions by opening up Ultra Wormholes. There's another character that's believed to cause these distortions, but that's not the case… So in order to stop the distortions completely, the one character has learn to completely control her power, stop the distortions the other one is causing, and destroy her utterly, all with the help of Ultra Beasts. And this is all made possible with Lusamine doing her research and using Ultra Beasts' power to help others… It makes sense, while still fitting the characters…

But enough about that, on to the game! And on to another part that doesn't make sense… In the original game, Lusamine freezes Pokémon to make them appear beautiful forever, and although the Pokémon are still alive, they are in stasis, and implied to be in pain when they are imprisoned. In the original games, it's easy to say this is because of Nihilego's toxins making her take her love of beautiful things to a level of unhealthy obsession. In this game, she still does that, but for no apparent reason… Furthermore, after they are seen, no one so much as comments on the frozen Pokémon, other than a conversation after the game is cleared about how they will all be freed… And this is even coming from those who could realistically know about those Pokémon… This game tries its best to make Lusamine look sympathetic, but it fails spectacularly when she still does things like that… It's part of the reason why her arc in these games is such a mess…

Not to mention that the dialogue explains that Lusamine believes she must be the one to stop Necrozma, but is goes entirely against her character of loving all Pokémon, particularly because she has to sacrifice Cosmog for it… And then there's the fact that Cosmog is able to resist her trying to force it to create an Ultra Wormhole without explanation when it couldn't in the original games… Again, it makes no sense… But the gameplay is still good, so I'm just going to continue on with that…

So I have to battle Lusamine after all this madness... And I accidentally send out Jenny against her Clefable… A very bad choice… Luckily, I switch to Conduct… She can use Psychic, but it doesn't do much damage. Flash Cannon on the other hand, does a lot… It also tries using Hyper Voice, but Conduct still wins even though it's injured…

She sends in Lopunny, the only member not on her team in the original games… I quickly send in Luz. She uses Thunder and Dizzy Punches, but neither does much damage. Bewear and Abigail are next. A critical hitting, Sword Dancing Z-move takes it out. Lilligant comes out, but is nearly defeated by Leech Life… It manages to use Stun Spore and Petal Dance, leaving Abigail weakened. Abigail still wins, is badly injured… Her last Pokémon is Milotic. I decide to keep Abigail in and heal. It's a good thing too, as Milotic uses Hydro Pump. It nearly destroys Abigail, but it's easy to weather and heal… After that she is left with a much weaker Icy Wind. Which means it's quickly destroyed by Shadow Claw.

After that, Lusamine disappears into the Ultra Wormhole with Guzma… And everyone is worried, like in the original game… And the Ultra Recon squad come up… It turns out they are more than a little angry, considering that Lusamine said she would defeat Necrozma in order to help them save their world. But instead, she just ditched them and decided to defeat Necrozma for her own reasons… And she's supposed to be sympathetic... Yeah, not convinced… Also, the Ultra Recon Squad took off the visors here, and it's a little creepy… They all have eyes that match their hair, and Zossie is still bouncing around and smiling… I just don't get this game sometimes…

It's interesting because there's another cutscene here… Unfortunate, it cuts a lot out… There's the fact that Lillie changes her outfit, which is supposed to be a big part of her character development... Unfortunately, it's glossed over here… However, there's a bit more about Lusamine as a person and her backstory, including the fact that she just wanted to find her husband that disappeared into one of the Ultra Wormholes… I can't remember if the original games either implied it or stated that outright… I also thought that if it was the latter, it was something difficult to find… I really like that even though certain parts were cut, other parts were added… It's really a shame that so much was cut out though… It does make sense, considering all the space issues these games had, but still…

Off to Seafolk Village… Beautiful place and one of my favorites in the game… Also, it's the first area for Poni Island… This is also where the levels begin climbing, so I may have to do some training… Unfortunately, I can only train to level 65 before I start having issues with the traded members of my team… But hopefully I won't need to train that much…

And it's Mina who introduces me to Poni Island… And I can meet her family here too… Nice, considering she was barely in the original game at all despite being the final trial captain… Her trial wasn't even until the game was cleared… It's during the main game now, though… Also, there are some TMs here… They're expensive, but powerful… I quickly buy them all and teach Thunder to Conduct. Time to go find Hapu…

And Victor does fairly well in another battle, almost defeating a pair Pokémon with Solarbeam… He does lose the match, but only by little... Here's hoping he will continue to perform… And there is pretty intense battle going on… Luz gets injured by a Gardabor and Take Down, but manages to win… Conduct gets injured by a Topapex, but with Liquidation. Thunder proves useful, as it does a lot more damage… I'm also letting Conduct learn Discharge for the time being. Thunder has a lot more power, but a lot less accuracy, so having both helps…

Also, the AI can be rather weird… I fought a trainer using Oricorios… That Trainer first took out Doggy with two Air Slashes, but then proceeded to use Teeter Dance, when I was already confused… I've no idea what it's thinking… Also, I forgot that the birds have Revelation dance, and one of them is Electric Type… Poor Victor got smashed… The combo from before gave Jenny trouble as well, but eventually I reach the next area.

Next area is called Ancient Poni Path… Not too much to do right now, but will be more important later... Victor gets injured twice by a Turtonator, but still manages to fight. It still got a Shell Smash in, so things got a little dicey… Also, there was a Drampa with Extrasensory that got a bit annoying. Finally, it's worth noting that this is the place where I can get Strength. It's in the form of a Machamp that carries the player… I find it hilarious…

Next area is Poni Breaker Coast, in the south… A Dig and critical Gyro Ball injure Doggy, but other than that, the trip is quiet… Lillie teaches me how to use Strength, but it's not like I need the instruction… And it seems Hapu has now become Island Kahuna… I always thought the scene was very well done, with the way the graphics were, Hapu's expression, and even the shimmering stones… I also like Hapu's character, and her failing the Kahuna's trial, but then deciding to travel and help those in need… And I always liked characters with large vocabularies... I think I'm going to stop here, though, because the next area is rather long, and it's getting late…


	89. Land of the Ultra Sun: Part 5

**Welcome back to another chapter of Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective companies.**

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**Day 24 (August 18, 2018)**

Off to explore Poni again! Seems like I have to talk to Mina a second time, and she will guide me to Exeggutor Island. That's where the second flute used to awaken the legendary Pokémon awaits… Also, Lillie doesn't go with the player this time. Kind of a shame, because although it makes sense because she can't fight, there's some interesting perspective about Lusamine acted before the game began… I guess this game removes it because it doesn't completely make sense now, but still…

Seems like there is some Pinsir harassing some Exeggutor… Luz battles the bugs, and learns Thrash. It's a powerful move, despite the drawbacks. Also, I just remembered about a Master Ball I had signed up to get in the beginning of the game… Unfortunately, I miss the distribution back in February... Oh well… I don't use them much anyway…

Anyway, I've got the flute. Now to head to Vast Poni Canyon. In the original games, it was like Victory Road in previous generations, with the actual Victory Road being just a straight shot. I've heard that the actual Victory Road has been revamped to be a proper one, so I'm interested to see what it holds now... I've got to grab Max Repels first, though… Vast Poni Canyon is a large cave, and I don't want wild Pokémon getting in my way…

There's a horde of Team Skull members, but other than Jenny falling to a Golbat's critical Leech Life, they're not much of a problem… Also, Victor does fantastic here… He's really fitting into the team… Also, looks like the Skull grunts attacked to try and convince me to save Guzma… Too bad they didn't realize we were doing that already... Luckily, Plumeria appears, sets them straight, and gives a heartfelt apology to Lillie… She also explains a bit of Guzma's past, and why he's so loyal to Lusamine… Scenes like this is probably why Plumeria is probably one of my favorite characters… Despite all of her negative traits, she really does care about others, and those serving under her… And she is one of the villains that truly regrets her actions… It almost seems as though she's fighting on the wrong side, and only doing so out of desperation and need to survive… Her battles after the main game is cleared support this, since she completely abandons her lifestyle, rises through the ranks, and eventually battles player for the title as Champion…

But Plumeria's not the only one to worry about… Hapu's here too, and she wants a fight… Or not yet, it seems… The Ultra Recon Squad wants to battle instead, but they're easily defeated…

So finally off to Vast Poni Canyon… Here's hoping it will be as challenging as it was in the original games… It already proves to be the case, when Jenny falls to a Beheeyem's Signal Beam. There's also a Kabutops that injures her. Sad to say, she probably won't be staying on the team much longer… Both she and Doggy get injured by a Xatu with both Psychic and Air Slash, respectively Unlike Jenny, I'm planning on keeping Doggy on the team. Also, there's a Kangaskhan that proves to be a formidable foe, injuring Conduct with Dizzy Punch. Luckily, it's taken down with Brick Break. Also, Lillie still has her scene on the bridge, although luckily she's less wordy… She doesn't make it a reference to the trials, so the scene is a lot clearer…

Also, someone's Poliwrath get extremely lucky and hit all five Dynamicpunchs on Jenny. At least the move is easy to wait out… Furthermore, there is a Lapras that injures Conduct with Hydro Pump. It then injures it again with Brine and Ice Beam. I find it odd, since the combination of Brine and Hydro Pump should have been enough, since the opponent was weakened by Thunder… Another case of strange AI, it seems... Jenny also has a difficult time with a Talonflame. Aerial Ace and Will-O-Wisp are a deadly combination, it seems… Luckily, I still win with Hidden Power Water. Haven't used that move in a while, but glad I held onto it… Also, Frost Breath proves to be annoying because it always criticals… A Glaceon has it and injures Luz… At least I can switch to Conduct…

There's an incredibly strong Flygon up ahead, however… It defeats half the team with Earthquake and Dragon Rush. Abigail, Luz, and Doggy all fall before Jenny takes it out after being injured. Victor's also injured in the carnage, and Jenny gets taken down after that by Gengar. Nothing short of an intense battle… And this is after the opponent's Noctowl is injured by Thunder, and retreats… I revived Jenny and send her in. Luckily, her ability allows her to become stronger when the opponent attacks with Shadow Ball. For clarification, Jenny's ability is Contrary, which reverses stat changes. Shadow Ball normally has a chance the lower defenses, but when hits Jenny, instead raises them. This allows Jenny to destroy the opponent with Psycho Cut, after a few healings. But then there is a Slowking with Scald. It burns and injures Jenny, and I go to heal the burn… Only to get burned again… Thankfully, a critical Foul Play defeats it.

So this is it, the final trial on the original games… Although there is no Captain here, a challenge still awaits in the Vast Poni Canyon… It's similar to the first one, and I must defeat three dragons and a road to be allowed to progress. I have Abigail and her Z-move, so hopefully it is easy…

The first two foes go down immediately… The third, not so much… The Totem Pokémon is double weak to Fairy moves, but is holding at item that weakens them. So Abigail's best move only does about half damage. Furthermore, it summons Scizor, a Pokémon Abigail's weak to. Bullet Punch takes her down in one shot. I send in Jenny, and have her use Psycho Cut. Unfortunately, it doesn't do much damage… Scizor complicates things by using Light Screen… The Totem weakens her by using Dragon Claw twice, and Scizor defeats her with X-Scissor Luckily, the exchange leaves the Totem almost dead… I tried to send Doggy to stop it, but get defeated by Dragon Claw… Victor heads in, taking a Thunderpunch, but using Multi-attack to deal the final blow… X-Scissor defeats it, though… Scizor can't stand two Thunders from Conduct, though, and can only use Pursuit as it's defeated…

Now I can finally head to the altar… I've heard even more intense things await me there… As before, the legendary Pokémon, in this case, Solgaleo, appears. However, Necrozma appears as well, alongside a defeated Lusamine and Guzma… They try to tell me to run, but Solgaleo attacks… It quickly loses the fight, being absorbed into Necrozma. And then, Necrozma summons others from the Wormholes before starting a fight… Unfortunately, the thing about Necrozma is well it seems to be the first truly malevolent Pokémon, it doesn't really seem to have a reason for what it's doing… Later parts of the game imply it might be acting on instinct, but then that theory is contradicted even later on when Necrozma asks to borrow power from the player…

So it has to have some intelligence and some morality to do that… So there's no reason why couldn't it just traveled with someone in order to get what it needs, which is light, rather than taking everything… Not to mention it's impossible for it to drain the entire world of light in the first place… I would have liked it if the developers used the other story for that was present in the original game, in that it was sleeping underground and then woke up after certain events had occurred. Unlike Groudon and Kyogre, Necrozma doesn't seem to cause any threats in this situation, instead just wandering around aimlessly until it finds someone to battle. It's interesting because it's a violent creature, but a much more peaceful interpretation… I would've liked to see where the game would've gone with that, but alas, it's just dropped, for something that once again doesn't make much sense…

Regardless, the fused form of Necrozma and Solgaleo looks awesome, and the music is incredible… So it's time to begin the fight… I begin with Jenny, which can hopefully resist both of Necrozma's Types… Unfortunately, Jenny is not very fast, and is injured by a Sunsteel Strike… She does manage to get a super effective hit in, however… She goes down on the next turn, and Doggy comes in. Unfortunately, the opponent heals with Morning Sun. Furthermore, Land's Wrath doesn't do much damage. However, I'm lucky enough to score critical on the next turn, and Necrozma uses Psycho Cut. Doggy outspeeds both times, getting taken down by Sunsteel Strike… But now the foe is almost defeated… Victor finishes things off with a Multi Attack. But now things have gone dark, and Necrozma has taken Solgaleo... And apparently it wants Z-Crystals… Couldn't it just use some other type of light, though? It's been known to sustain itself in other ways… Regardless, it looks like I'm going to need to travel between worlds... But there's some preparation first…

First is something called Ultra Warp Ride. Ultra Warp Ride allows the player to ride on the legendary Pokémon's back in order to reach other worlds. The other worlds hold rare, powerful, and even exclusive Pokémon… This is one thing that been most looking forward to, because I would like to use those Pokémon… Unfortunately, the drawback is that it uses motion controls, and the motion controls can only be changed by finding an out of the way NPC in the Game Freak building… And this can only be done after using it once… Needless to say, it's one of the more frustrating aspects, but still a minigame I enjoyed… I'm definitely going back to change the controls, though…

Okay, now they've done that, it's time to go Pokémon catching! There are a couple Pokémon I have in mind, and I plan on using them to replace the members in the team. However, I don't think I can get them until later on… But I just have to beat Necrozma first... I can get other Pokémon that are a much higher than what I originally have now, but I'm not interested… These Pokémon are the equivalent of getting National Dex only Pokémon in other games, because the National Dex itself does not exist… I have to say, it was nice of the creators to acknowledge that, at least… Also, it's implied that the Ultra Wormholes lead to a ruined Alola, because a lot of the music is played backwards and things look similar… I feel like the Traveler series should make that canon, but I'm not sure when the destruction would start… Perhaps there would be two points, one with Necrozma, or something related, and the other with the source of distortions in that book…

Anyway, back to Ultra Warp Ride… I've switched all the motion controls, so it should be easier… I do mess up the first time, but I make it during the second… Oh, and time to meet the other two members… Soliera and Psycho… It's too bad they don't get much screen time, because I like them better… They tell us that the light is bringing Necrozma pain, and that it cannot control it… Which is odd, considering it can control the light perfectly fine when the player uses it… Anyway, time to beat Necrozma in battle… And on to one of the hardest battles in the entire series… Hopefully I'm ready… Also, apparently the Ultra Recon Squad's ancestors grew too greedy, and Necrozma lost a part of its body… As result, it went insane... And somehow, I am supposed to pity it, despite it being anything but sympathetic so far, and possibly not acting on instincts… And was not even much details on what happened… It's another thing that doesn't make sense… Not to mention that the Ultra Recon Squad's world isn't explored much... It's just two areas and that's it… Wasted potential to me… But on with the battle…

And this is Necrozma's true form… A golden dragon with higher stats than anything else in the entire series thus far… And it turns into a Dragon/Psychic type… To make matters worse, it's around 15 levels higher than me, and it has a stat increase… The only saving grace is that it is now weak to fairies… I lead with Abigail and hope that that will be a good choice… Abigail's Z-move takes off a quarter of its health, but the foe knows Smart Strike… After that, Abigail is defeated… Conduct gets off a Quick Claw/Thunder Wave combo, but is nearly defeated by Photon Geyser… Even after that, Necrozma's still faster and defeats Conduct by using Photon Geyser… This proves to be the case even as Jenney tries to come in and can do no damage… Doggy tries to come in with Dragon Tail, but it doesn't do much… The others all are all taken out with Photon Geyser…

This makes me change my strategy… Photon Geyser is powerful, but doesn't have many hits… And since Conduct can survive the attack, I will use it to get rid of photon geyser, and then attack with the others… Except that strategy doesn't work, because Conduct doesn't survive the attack… I end up switching out between it and Luz to get rid of Photon Geyser… And unfortunately I'm faced with another problem, as Conduct is destroyed even with Dragon Pulse… Abigail comes in, and things go the same as before with her… I sacrifice Doggy to revive Conduct, and for some reason, Necrozma decides to use Power Gem, allowing Conduct to use Thunder Wave… It's worth noting before Necrozma's second strike, Abigail regained her Z-move… Also worth noting that she retained her Disguise after she fainted, so I use the move again… This is after Conduct gets a free turn after Necrozma is paralyzed, so Abigail's revived… There may have been a Flash Cannon in there as well, but the bout was so intense, I don't remember… Necrozma is very weak now, so I send in Jenny in hopes of finishing it off… If she doesn't do it, I'll revive Abigail again next turn… Victor is sacrificed, as I finally defeat the foe with Abigail's Shadow Claw… Fitting that my favorite Pokémon almost single-handedly defeats the strongest Pokémon series… I wonder how it will do on a solo run… Probably better, considering I'll be higher-level… Also knowing that Victor had a free turn, and could've defeated Necrozma if I hadn't revived, but that was by sheer luck… The entire battle was by sheer luck… I'm not sure whether to like it or be annoyed…

But what I'm sure I do like is I get another team member, called Spyro… He's a Poipole, and I named it that because it evolves into a purple dragon. His evolved form is super strong, although takes a while to get there… I put Jenney away for it. Also worth noting that Lusamine gives me a couple Ultra Beast Balls, and I now have the ability to explore the Ultra Wormholes at will… I'll start pursuing that next time, though… It's still something that's fairly long…

**Day 25 (August 19, 2018)**

So, off to do some sidequesting! First things first, Ultra Warp Ride! Now that Necrozma has been defeated, several Pokémon can be caught. And some of them are ones I want add to my team… The first thing is the Ultra Beasts… They can be found in white Warp Holes, so I will head there… The first place I find is called Ultra Deep Sea, and it's actually where the end of the original game took place. As expected for those that played the original game, the beast that can be found here is Nihilego. It's worth noting that am also using these Ultra Wormholes to level up Spyro, since these Pokémon are level 60 and higher than anything else I can find thus far.

The battle against Nihilego is difficult, because Power Gem nearly defeats Conduct… At least I managed to pull off a Thunder Wave... Unfortunately, Thunder misses repeatedly, and Conduct is taken down… There is also Beast Boost to contend with, and it starts activating… Which means I better end the battle fast… Abigail weakens it, but gets taken down by a Power Gem… I quickly use Rotom to increase my chances of catching the thing, and it is paralyzed. Now is the time to start throwing Ultra Balls… Since I only have a few Beast Balls and don't know where to get more, I prefer not to waste them... Unfortunately, this doesn't work, and almost everyone gets defeated by Power Gem… Luckily, I find out it's possible to buy Beast Balls now, so there's no need to conserve them like I did… And the second time goes much better, with Nihilego using Stealth Rock instead of Power Gem one turn, allowing conduct to weaken it with Flash Cannon and Thunder. And then Abigail weakens it with Play Rough, Thunder Wave is still in effect, and it's caught with a Beast Ball.

My supplies are getting low, so I'm going to head back to stock up. I'm also wondering if I should turn my Experience Share on for this part, because the endgame battles can get tough… I probably will once I get to the League and have my full team, because some of my members will be over leveled anyway… Assuming I need to train in the first place…

After a few failed times, I end up in the Ultra jungle… This is where the next Ultra Beast awaits, Buzzwole… Conduct takes a Hammer Arm, but survives thanks to Sturdy… It gets off a Thunder Wave, and the battle continues… Thunder weakens the beast, but it takes Conduct down… Luckily, it's captured in a Beast Ball.

So after many failed tries and encounters with normal Pokémon, I finally make it to the forest where Kartana is… It's one of my favorite Pokémon, and quite strong, so I want it for my team… Also, there are some strange trainers who battle using Kartana… They also speak some odd language, and I'm guessing from the music that it is Japanese… However, it's also Romanized, which is strange, because no other Japanese language in the games has been… Regardless, they're not much of an issue, and I move on to the real reason I came here…

Kartana proves to be a problem… Its aura increases its attack, and coupled with its already high attack, it does a lot of damage… It makes short work of Conduct, so just decide to send in Abigail… I decide just to increase my catching chances, and then throw Beast Balls… Luckily, it works… I decide to name it Rapier, because that's a type of sword and used in expressions to indicate sharpness. It fits it well… Rapier lacks a Steel Type move, so I give it Smart Strike. The rest of its moveset is unchanged and consists of Leaf Blade, X-Scissor, and Air Slash. I'm currently leaving that as is, although considering Victor has a lot of the same moves, something might change later…

Also, something interesting happens when I decide to hop into a red Wormhole… I have an encounter with a legendary Pokémon, Moltres! Legendary Pokémon have a rare chance of appearing in these Wormholes, with higher chance the better the player does. Some also have additional requirements, such as every certain Pokémon party or only being available on specific version. Moltres is one of these Pokémon, and I intend to capture them all… It's even got the original theme from the Game Boy games… I find to be a nice touch… Anyway, the legendary Pokémon are much more difficult to capture then the Beasts… I quickly paralyze it, then increase my catch rate… I get lucky, and I'm able to weaken it with Flash Cannon and Discharge. Despite taking Conduct down with Flamethrower, Moltres comes easily…

Finally, I arrive at the Ultra Plant. This is where one of the other members I want for my team, Xurkitree, resides… Hilariously, it looks like a tripod in its introductory scene… I think I will name it that when I catch it… Unfortunately, it increases its Special Attack, and nearly takes out Conduct with Discharge… I decide to do the same thing I did for Kartana and catching immediately... Thankfully, I succeed… However, I don't put Tripod on my team immediately… I still want Conduct to help out with catching Pokémon here, since Tripod doesn't know Thunder Wave… When I'm done, I'll switch out the two…

While training, I got extremely lucky and found Tornadus. Conduct weakened it with Flash Cannon and Thunder Wave… Doesn't have much in the way of offense, other than Crunch, it seems… Later I figure out it has Air Slash… It takes out Conduct and injures Victor, but other than that is an easy catch…

So I decided I don't want to find everything, but it is a good spot for training... I manage to get everyone up to level 50, so I'm all set for the final areas… I have to say I like the concept, and out of all the minigames, this is one the most enjoyable… There's also a fair amount of Pokémon to be found here, and many of those are very strong… Unfortunately, the randomness of the minigame makes it so that it's not worth finding everything… It doesn't bother me that much though, because I can just transfer everything from other games, and I'm planning to transfer things from Pokémon Sun over here… I do like that this minigame allows the player to capture multiple Ultra Beasts, but the randomness makes things difficult… Despite doing my training in areas where they appear, I never encountered Guzzlord once… Not like I need it, but still…

Anyway, time to say goodbye to Conduct and put Tripod in the party… Its moveset is not the best, but hopefully I can fix that soon… It currently knows Dazzling Gleam, Discharge, Thunder Wave, and Power Whip. There's a few other things I can do now that I've unlocked Ultra Warp Ride… One is talking to a boy at the Battle Royale and telling him about the various deeds done throughout the game... Once the player tells him about Ultra Warp Ride, he'll challenge them to a battle… Defeating him gives the player a Dawn Stone… There's also rather sweet quest where Hapu's grandmother lost a photograph of her and her Pokémon when she was young… Returning it has her remember her youth… Apparently, the Mudsdale Hapu uses may be her grandmother's… Nevertheless, she gives a Heart Scale… That's a very good item…

All done with side quests and onto Mina's trial… Mina's trial is a bit different from the others in that she has to be battled first. I end up sending Spyro against her Mawile accidentally… She injures Doggy with an Iron Head, but Doggy ends up winning with Land's Wrath. I switch Spyro back in, but her next Pokémon is Granbull… She defeats Spyro with an Earthquake. Abigail comes in, using Swords Dance, but taking a Play Rough… Another one almost destroys her… Thankfully, she destroys the foe with two Shadow Claws… Her final Pokémon is Ribombee. I tried to use my Z-power, but she uses hers before me and defeats Abigail… I send in Victor, but she has an attack called Pollen Puff that does a lot of damage… Thankfully, Air Slash does a lot in return… She's weakened enough for me to defeat her, but lands a critical hit. So now I'm the one defeated… I send in Rapier, since it can do added damage. Unfortunately, it gets taken down in one hit… Tripod uses Thunder Wave to paralyze Ribombee and Discharge to take it out… Moral of the story: Pollen Puff is annoying…

Anyway, she's far from the last battle to fight… Now I must find the Trial Captains and track them down… I have to get a petal from each of them by beating them in battle. Only then can I face the Totem. It's actually similar to the battle the player could fight after beating the Trial Captains in the original game, and the trial Mina presented after the main game was beaten. This one is a formal trial, however and so there's a bit more to do.

First on the list is Illmia… Apparently he's around Route 2… According to a guide, he's in the cemetery, so I have to head there... He starts out with Gumshoos… I send in Doggy and use Brick Break. I managed to weaken the foe with two attacks, but the foe also takes me down with two attacks… Spyro starts proving his worth when he takes down Gumshoos with a Poison Jab. Also, currently his Beasts Boost increases speed. I'm hoping that changes when he evolves, because speed is not too important for the strategy the line typically uses… Anyway, he defeats Smeargle despite getting hit by Extremespeed twice... Pretty good, in my opinion… He is injured, but it's still pretty nice for a non-evolved Pokémon… Illima's last Pokémon is Komala. It takes Spyro out in one hit with its Z-move. Victor steps in with Multi-attack, but is almost defeated by Wood Hammer… Thankfully, it's faster, but is defeated by a Sucker Punch… Komala tries to do the same thing to Rapier, but is defeated by Smart Strike…

Illmia takes me to see Mallow next… She is in Lush Jungle, and hopefully her battle will be easier… I start with Spyro, who uses Nasty Plot. She starts with Trevant and Shadow Claw... I give her a taste of Sludge Bomb, a new move that I taught Spyro to take advantage of Nasty Plot. Unfortunate, she uses Leech Seed, so I switch out to Rapier. Rapier easily takes a few Shadow Claws, before fighting back with Air Slash. Before long, it wins. Tasreena is next. It has Low Sweep, but Rapier takes it with ease. It retaliates again with Air Slash, before using U-Turn to switch. Unfortunately, she switches to Shiinotic, who is defeated by two X-Scissors before it can even attack… Mallow tries to have a remaining Pokémon lower my attack with Trop Kick, but it does hardly anything and is defeated by X-Scissor… The next petal is mine, and Lana also gives me one. If I had been playing Ultra Moon, it would have been reversed.

Either way, next up is Kaiiwe, and visiting the place of the Fire Trial… He starts off with Arcanine, and I with Victor. He also has Intimidate, which lowers my attack. Hopefully, it won't be too much of a disadvantage… I managed to weaken the foe with Multi-attack before being hit by Flare Blitz. Luckily, that doesn't do too much damage and Victor finishes him off. Next, it's Doggy versus Talonflame. Talonflame nearly defeats Doggy with Brave Bird, but Doggy defeats it with Rock Slide. The final foe is Marowak. Doggy tries to defeat it with Land's Wrath, but only manages to severely weaken it before it is defeated by Shadow Bone. But before I can get the petal, it appears I have to defeat David and his Magmar… Luckily, a single attack from Victor wins the battle.

Sophocles's next. Looks like he says a heartfelt goodbye to Molayne, but without giving me a battle… I lead with Doggy and it proves to be a good choice because he starts with Togedemaru. He uses Spiky Shield, then follows up with Fell Stinger. However, he still falls to Land's Wrath. Magnezone doesn't even get a chance to attack… Golem survives a hit with Sturdy, but I also survive a hit from Stone Edge. After that, the opponent is defeated…

Next up is the Aether House… And there's a talk with Guzma and I learn a little bit about how he trained up his Pokémon and met every member of Team Skull during his challenge… Perhaps he and the player characters aren't so different, after all… And Hau explains that he can become something else that no one else has managed to be, and if he does that, he didn't fail to become a captain… I have to say I like this conversation, because it really shows Guzma's softer side… Although he did have his moments in the original games, it's more present here… And it does really hammer home the fact that he became the way he did just to survive, rather than out of any malice… I still like some of the other characters better, though… Also, Nanu is teaching some of the kids out to defend themselves, and just gives me the petal… What's also interesting is that in Ultra Moon, he does battle the player… I don't know the reason behind the change, but it's interesting to note…

Anyway, now I can finally challenge the Totem… If I don't die laughing first… The fact that the Totem just enters her house after she makes the flower is hysterical… Anyway, the Totem is Ribombee, so I lead with Rapier. Unfortunately, Bug Buzz destroys it and the foe calls in Pelipper. Tripod gets injured with Bug Buzz, but gets in a Thunder Wave. Pelipper simply Stockpiles. Totem Ribombee is still faster, but is held back by the paralysis… It takes damage from Discharge, and its ally is destroyed. Tripod moves first with the Quick Claw, but is taken out by Bug Buzz.

And the Totem summons Blissey after that… Blissey uses Helping Hand, and Victor's nearly slaughtered by Bug Buzz… Multi Attack almost takes out Ribombee, however… Unfortunately, Victor doesn't get a chance to launch another attack, as the Totem defeats him. Blissey also uses Light Screen, but it hardly matters... I tried to use Doggy to finish things, but I forget about the Totem knowing Fairy Type moves and I am defeated. The Totem tries to use Dazzling Gleam, but Abigail takes the hit and defeats it with Shadow Claw. Blissey is easy pickings, falling quickly to Abigail's Z-move.

Looks like it's time to fight Hapu… Kind of cool that she awaits on Exeggutor Island, considering it used to be a trial site… She leads with Gorlurk, who sets up Stealth Rocks, but is defeated by two Multi-attacks from Victor. After that, she sends in Mudsdale, who defeats Victor with its Z-move. I try to send in Abigail, but the typical Shadow Claw/Swords Dance combo doesn't do much damage… However, Rapier comes in and defeats Mudsdale with Leaf Blade. The next opponent is Flygon, and it almost destroys Rapier with Earth Power, but it falls in one hit. And the last opponent is Gastrodon. Needless to say, with all the attack boosts, it doesn't last long… I have to say, after this, Kartana has become one of my favorite Pokémon…

The League now awaits on top of Mt. Lankalia… But first, a battle against Gladion… He sends out Crobat against Victor. Victor is able to weaken him with Ice Fang, but is defeated by two Cross Poisons. However, Tripod is easily able to take a critical hit and defeat the foe with Discharge. Zoroark comes in, defeating Tripod with Black Hole Eclispe. I try to send out Rapier, but it's defeated by Night Daze. Night Daze continues causing issues as it lowers Abigail's accuracy, making her regular combo useless… Doggy finally takes out with Brick Break and Hail, but is left badly injured. It gets taken down next turn. After that, I try to use Spyro, but it's taken down by Multi Attack and Crush Claw. Luckily, Victor is revived and defeats the opponent, but only after barely surviving the attack. It's funny, because briefly, there was a Silvally mirror match… The last opponent is Lucario. I quickly heal up Victor, and take a Quick Attack. Lucario uses Aura Sphere, but I fire back a Multi Attack. It turns out Victor can take two attacks at full health, but I revive Abigail just in case… After that, I heal and attack back. It proves to be the right choice, as Victor destroys Lucario. Now it's even funnier that the main Pokémon that defeated Gladion's team was the one he started with… I will work that into the story somehow…

But then, he mentions Lillie is around the place where we started the game… I wonder why, and decide to head there… Looks like Lillie wants to give me Solgaleo… So I take her up on that offer… Tripod does well here, paralyzing Solgaleo, attacking it with Discharge, and taking both Crunch and Sunsteel Strike. After one more Discharge, Solgaleo is captured… It still has a high catch rate, even though it's no longer required. I do think this is pretty cool, fighting the first Pokémon met in the place where the game began. Anyway, it's time to head back to the League…

And on to Victory Road… Unlike the original games, there's Trainers here. Spyro takes on two of them by himself, although he is pretty badly hurt by the end of it… One uses Fairy Types, and the other uses Lickitung and Goodra. The team, however, does run into some issues when I accidentally send out Rapier against a Fighting team in a double battle. Victor and Spyro also fall. Luckily, Tripod's Dazzling Gleam proves useful… Perhaps it will keep the move after all… The same happens in another fight, where it takes on an opponent team almost single-handedly…

But the challenges in victory Road continue, as I find Necrozma lying in a crater… After I talk to it, it seems to want to do battle... It's a powerful Pokémon, so I oblige… Tripod does a fine job using Discharge and Thunder Wave to weaken Necrozma. Unfortunately, there's also hail falling, which will pose a problem… Luckily, Necrozma is caught on the first try. Oh, and Corless appears, giving me the means to fuse Necrozma with the other two legendary Pokémon. Since I'm not using it this playthrough, the fusion doesn't mean much… But it is nice to have…

Also, some poor soul thought it would be a good idea to use Encore on Spyro after he used Nasty Plot… They probably regretted that decision quickly… Also, the ice Z-Crystal and Ice Beam are here. I quickly give Victor the latter, as is both more powerful and accurate than Ice Fang. I have to take a moment to say I really like the new design of Victory Road… It's beautiful, and really fits the theme of a final snow covered challenge… Also, I forgot that Freeze Dry exists, and Victor got defeated because it's also super effective against water… There was also a Forretress that exploded and injured Doggy and Tripod, as well as Tripod being taken down by a Tyranitar's Earthquake next turn.

At last, I make it to the top… The music here is brilliant, as always… Of course, I will save the challenge for next time, as it will be long to document… There is one thing I want to do, though… And that is update my moves… The Move Relearner is here, finally… Rapier gets Night Slash and Sacred Sword… Also, I realized just now that Air Slash is a special move, and I kept using it thinking it was physical… At least Kartana's Special Attack isn't too bad... But if I'd known I would've taught it Aerial Ace… Tripod gets Thunderbolt and Signal Beam. And Spyro gets Dragon pulse, becoming a true dragon and then evolving into Naganadel using a Rare Candy… It also gives a massive boost to Special Attack, which is useful… Finally, Spyro gets Fire Blast via TM… And that's it for now… Next time, some of the final battles of the game, and some final thoughts on both it and the blog itself…


	90. Land of the Ultra Sun

**Welcome back to the final entry in Scrapbook! As always, all characters are property of their respective creators. Also, as this is the last entry, see the author's notes for more details.**

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**Day 25 (August 20, 2018)**

Finally off to the Pokémon League, and then to beat the Elite Four… But first, a few preparations… One of them is to turn on the Experience Share, since from here on out, the battles will be fierce, and I need all the experience I can get… The second thing is to buy a lot of supplies, since I'll be facing high-level opponents without a break… The third and final is to use the Rotom powers to increase my winnings at the battles' end… There's still more of the game to go after this, but I've used a lot of my money here… With all my preparations done, time to go in… Man, as Rotom and Kukui say the final dialogue, it really feels like the end… Like I've come a long way… Perhaps it's because of how long I took to get here, taking breaks and all… Or perhaps because this entry may there will be the end of the blog… In either case, a lot of time is passed since the beginning… But I will need to have a strong finish…

In the Alola games, the player can take on Elite Four in any order they desire… I'm going to go in order... The first up is an interesting one… It's actually Molayne… He is the creator of the PC systems, and a user of Steel type Pokémon. In the original games, he battled the player before they entered the observatory, and was an optional battle as a title defense challenger after the games was cleared. I actually really like his introduction here, because other than Kukui giving the hint that he was asking the favor, and Molayne being a challenger for the Champion title in the previous game, there's no hint that this happens… So there's plenty of time to get to know him, but the same time it's quite a surprise... Not to mention he's the first PC system inventor that's able to be battled, which I think is pretty cool… And he is one my favorite characters… But enough with that, onto the fight.

Her first Pokémon is a Klefki. Doggy is the perfect choice, but it has Reflect… Which means Land's Wrath doesn't do much damage... Unfortunately for him, I have Brick Break. He then attacks with Flash Cannon, followed by Spikes. Unfortunately, he doesn't stand a chance against Land's Wrath… But Klefki is far from my only opponent here… Because the next is Metagross. Land's Wrath does some damage, but Doggy is defeated by Meteor Mash. Time to destroy him with Spyro… Fire Blast turns out to be a good choice, as it defeats Metagross with ease… But then, there's Dugtrio… It tries to use Fissure, but the attack is avoided. And then it's defeated by Fire Blast. Next Pokémon is Bisharp… It falls without making a move… At this time, Beast Boost has increased my Special Attack four times. Magnezone manages to survive a blow from Fire Blast thanks to Sturdy, but gets burned and destroyed by the next one. Naganadel is said to be one of the strongest Pokémon in the competitive battling world, able to topple even legendary ones… After that performance, I believe it…

Time to heal up and face the next person, Olivia… Oliva uses the same Type as before, so I have to be prepared to face Rock type Pokémon… Luckily, Victor is up to the challenge… She starts with Armaldo. Victor uses Multi Attack, and Armaldo tries to retaliate with X-Scissor. However, Victor wins the fight with another Multi-Attack. The next foe is Cradily, so I switch to Rapier. Sacred Sword nearly destroys the foe and it tries to fight back with Stealth Rock. However, that is much of an issue as it's quickly defeated… Her next Pokémon is Lycanroc, but it's defeated by Leaf Blade. After that, Probopass. However, it survives a Sacred Sword using Sturdy, but only uses Sandstorm, which is to my benefit… Needless to say, it's quickly taken down… Her final Pokémon is Gigalith, but it's easily defeated… Also, Doggy learned Earthquake. Immensely helpful… I'm not sure how the Ultra Beasts feel, but I'm glad they came to Alola… They are quite strong… Anyway, onto the next match…

The third battle is against Acerola… I have to say I love her character, so I'm glad to see her here… Not to mention that she's the youngest Elite Four member in the series, so that makes things interesting… Anyway, she uses Ghost Types, so Rapier and Night Slash are my best defense. Abigail and Swords Dance might also work, but it's risky… So I let the battle commence… She starts with Banette, but the thing goes down to Night Slash before it can do anything. Unfortunately, her Froslass takes down Rapier with Blizzard… So I send in Spyro… Froslass uses Confuse Ray, Spyro attacks itself, and she tries to use Blizzard. However, Spyro defeats her with Fire Blast. The next contender is Palossand. Spyro weakens it with Dragon Pulse, but is destroyed by Earth Power. After that, Victor comes in. Multi-Attack makes short work of the foe. The next one is Dhelmise, so I switch to Abigail. Sword Dance and Shadow Claw falls just short of taking Dhelmise out, and Abigail is defeated by Shadow Ball. Tripod comes in, defeating the foe with Signal Beam. Last opponent is Drifblim, and it doesn't last long against Tripod's Thunderbolt. That was quite an interesting challenge, but I will have to be careful if I face her in future tries…

And the last person is Kahili… Unlike the others, she gets barely any backstory, and her appearances can easily be missed, as of them are optional… It's a shame, because from what little is known about her, she seems to be an interesting character… And it's also bit jarring, considering how much the others appear… She does have a Type theme that hasn't been seen before, Flying, and either way, Tripod is front and center. It demolishes most of her team with Thunderbolt, to the point where the only real troubles are Braviary with Crush Claw, and Oricorio with Teeter Dance. Eventually, Tripod hits itself, and her Toucannon finishes it off with Beak Blast. After that, Victor with Ice Beam weakens it but gets taken down with her Z move, and Doggy finishes it off.

And then to face the Champion… It's actually Hau, with a stronger team than before… Since both the player and he defeated the League at the same time, they have to face off against each other… I have to say I'm not particularly fond of this change, because Kukui was a particularly good Champion in the original games… Not to mention it was a call back to the first games' lore of the unused fight against Prof. Oak, and him being strong enough to be a Champion in his backstory… I suppose that this is a call back to fighting the player's rival in the first Pokémon games, but still… The music is pretty good though, even though it's changed it from the original games…

Anyway, he starts with Raichu, who injures Doggy with Psychic, but is defeated by Earthquake… And then the next foe is Crabominable. It injures Rapier with Ice Hammer after barely surviving a Sacred Sword, but gets destroyed the next turn. Flareon is next. It tries use Baby Doll Eyes on Victor, but gets destroyed by two multi-attacks anyway… Tauros is where things get a little dicey… It ends up outspeeding both Doggy and Rapier, taking them out with Earthquake and Double Edge. It also uses Iron Head on Abigail, taking her out too. Tripod gets injured by an Earthquake, but defeats it with Thunderbolt. Primarina doesn't even get chance to attack before being taken down by Thunderbolt. Tripod gets taken down by Noviern's Dragon Pulse, but Victor takes out the dragon with Ice beam. Not particularly difficult, even with the fainting… Despite that, I didn't use a single item…

Off to the credit scene, and unlike Sun and Moon, the credits are not as long… The battle the end of the credits is also saved as an optional battle when gameplay resumes… Which is fantastic, considering it takes a long time otherwise… I have to say I do like some of the new scenes in the credits, such as Team Skull disbanding but choosing to stay with their leader… There's also everyone waving goodbye to Gladion, and him being shocked when Lusamine appears… And the new credits theme with the Kahuna music and the Totem Pokémon is pretty cool…

But the journey is far from over… Apparently more Beasts have appeared on Poni, and the Ultra Recon Squad recruits me to help stop them… I also get Type Null here, but it's obviously not needed… Time to head into Poni Grove… Apparently, this is where Blacephalon is. It's a clown-like beast that throws its head at people. Nothing short of bizarre… Anyway, it has a signature attack called Mind Blown where it throws its head at opponents. This attack does a lot of damage, but at the cost of reducing its HP by half. Poor Tripod gets hit by this attack, and faints immediately. Spyro also gets it by Shadow Ball, and faints. Luckily, Blacephalon is weakened enough to be caught. There's another one that uses Mind Blown twice, but it is also caught. There's still more to do after this, but I think I will save it for later…

**Day 26 (August 21, 2018)**

Off to do more of the postgame, and one of the most interesting quests in it: Team Rainbow Rocket… I've heard a lot of people talk about this quest, so I'm interested to see for myself… It first starts with Sophocles running into the house, saying that Festival Plaza is being attacked… Looks like I need to go investigate… Also, apparently I can't use Pokémon in my party for the beginning of the quest… Luckily, there's a new feature to help out: the Battle Agency… It works like the Battle Factory and Challenge Cup in previous games, where the player must use random rental Pokémon to defeat opponents… It seems the game wants me to give it a try now…

There are three Pokémon I can pick from: Tyranitar, Bisharp, and Gothitelle. The latter has a fairly good moveset, so I'm going with that. Since I can only pick one Pokémon, I will need to other people to make a team. Teammates are selected via Streetpass. Unfortunately, this file isn't using the feature, so I don't have any teammates now. Luckily, since this is the tutorial, the game gives me two teammates automatically. So now it's off to the challenge…

Also, the remixed Team Rocket theme is awesome… Everyone's Pokémon are at the same level, so there's no advantages other than Type. It's a pretty easy fight, and Team Rocket gets booted from the place. Furthermore, Team Rocket's Festival Plaza gets added to the castle as an optional look. I have to say it looks pretty nice. Also, there is a hilarious cutscene where Meowth learns how to turn on the TV… Reminds me of something one of my pets would do… Especially since one of them really enjoys watching TV…

And it looks like Team Rainbow Rocket has taken over Aether… Time to go save it… Also, apparently Lillie has found out how to battle, as she takes on members of the enemy by herself… Odd considering the game never explains where and how she picked up that ability… Anyway, I have more members to fight… They're not too tough despite their high level. The worst is Spyro being injured by a Primeape's Stomping Tantrum, and Doggy being nearly defeated by Haunter but constantly healing.

And it appears Faba has turned against the Foundation, and has become an enemy. This is one development I don't particularly like… In the original games, Faba is not particularly kind, but is also not openly malevolent. He appears to be just following a brainwashed Lusamine's orders, and gets demoted when she regains her senses. After that, he seems to actively try to lead a better life, dedicated to truly conserving Pokémon, trying to be on a better standing with the player, and becoming a fairly good battler… In this game, he is just a generic, predictable, villain… The anime combines the two interpretations that while he does backstab Lusamine and others, he does it out of genuinely wanting Lusamine's plans of summoning Ultra Beasts to succeed. Once they both realize how bad of an idea that is, they both back off very quickly… Needless to say, the other two interpretations are much more interesting than this game's, and it's really a shame that the plot point went to waste…

Nevertheless, I have to fight Faba in a double battle… I fight alongside Lillie and she uses a Clefairy with support moves. Unfortunately, from what I've heard, it probably won't be too much help here… Other than being healed from sleep, Abigail solos pretty much the entire fight… One of the reasons why I like Mimikyu so much… Also, I get to team up with Guzma here. Pretty nice… Even though the battle doesn't last long…

This next part seems to have warp panels and weak Grunts scattered within… It also has Electrode that will attack when approached… Overall, it's reminiscent of one of Team Rocket's hideouts in the older games. Nice touch, but not all that difficult… There is also a new part where panels have to be stepped on certain patterns to activate the way to the next area… It's still not that difficult…

And here is where the real fun starts… It appears all the lackeys are actually bosses from other evil teams that have succeeded in their grand design… First up is Maxie, leader of Team Magma. If this were the other version, I think it would be fighting Archie… Anyway, I think the inclusion of the other team leaders is kind of cool, but it still doesn't make much sense… Maxie's 's first Pokémon, Mightyena, goes up against Doggy, but I switch into Abigail. It turned out to be a good move, because the opponent knows Ice Fang. It's defeated by Abigail's Z move.

There is a Weezing that only uses Pain Split. I use Tripod to weaken it, but then he switches out to Camelrupt. I let Tripod fall to Earthquake, so Victor can get a free switch. He takes out the target with Multi Attack. Weezing then uses Pain Split, repeatedly on Victor. Eventually, it runs out of Pain Splits and starts to use Thunderbolt. So I switch into Doggy, only to realize that it's not out of Pain Splits. What follows is a battle where constantly uses Pain Split and no damage is ever inflicted… Eventually, it starts using Shadow Ball, and I'm able to heal. That also means Doggy ran it out of Pain Splits, but it gets taken down by Shadow Ball. Luckily, I revived Tripod and send it back in. And I take it down with Thunderbolt. Honestly, whatever developer thought that was a good idea should be fired…

His Crobat knows Sludge Bomb, but it gets taken down by Thunderbolt. And the last one is Groudon. It takes Abigail and Tripod down with Earthquake, although Abigail is at least able to do some damage with her Z move. Rapier almost takes it out with Leaf Blade, but then gets defeated by Flamethrower. I sacrifice Victor to revive Rapier, and quickly defeat the foe. And that was only the first of the boss battles… Hopefully the others won't be so nasty…

After going through a lot of Team Rainbow Rocket goons, I have to fight Archie after all… Hopefully won't be as bad as Maxie… I take out his Mightyena with the same strategy as before. Abigail does some damage to his Muk, but falls to Gunk Shot. Luckily, Doggy takes it out. His next Pokémon is Sharpedo, and it uses Liquidation. Tripod is injured, but still takes it out with Thunderbolt. Crobat suffers the same fate, as Quick Claw activates. And Kyogre goes down the same way.

Finally, I'm able to head to the center of things… Guzma is seen beating up two Grunts, and they let slip that there is a key that needs to be found in order to rescue Lusamine… And the key is in the new upstairs areas… However, I think also that for next time, as there are more puzzles to be found as well…

**Day 27 (August 23, 2018)**

Off to go continue storming the Rocket Hideout… I have an urge to go back to the Wormholes and find the rest of the content here… Perhaps I will, offscreen, when everything's finished…

The next room, after a few fights, is the infamous spinning panels… These are particularly common in Rocket hideouts in every game they appear in… So it's no surprise that they would appear here… Luckily, they're not that tough to figure out…

And next up is Cyrus… He was one of the toughest Team leaders in the original games he appeared in, and I expect no difference here… Luckily, the battle starts off beautifully… He sends in Houndoom, and I send Doggy. Houndoom attacks first, injuring Doggy with Dark Pulse. Luckily, Doggy defeats it in one hit with Earthquake. The next contender is Weavile. It attacks with Brick Break, injuring Rapier. Luckily, I beat it back with Sacred Sword. Tripod then goes up against Honchkrow. It defeats it with a single Thunderbolt. Quick Claw and another Thunderbolt eliminate his Crobat. Last comes Dialga, master of time. I try to use Tripod to destroy it, but it uses Roar of Time before I can do anything… So Abigail comes out and use a sword dance as Dialga recovers. Her Z move almost completely destroys it. Cyrus heals, but Abigail uses two Shadow Claws and weakens it again. Of course, one Flash Cannon takes her out. Doggy finishes the job with Earthquake.

Yet another puzzle awaits me… It's a puzzle with Meowth statues… Each statue has a line of sight, and running into the line of sight puts the player back at the beginning of the floor… However, the Meowth statues turned via a switch so the player can get around the gazes… It's like the puzzles in Mahogany, only bit more complicated… Nevertheless, still easy to get through… Although I do mess up a few times…

And made to the final room in the back against Lysandre… Worth noting that all the grunts at this point of give me some difficulty, but are still overall weak because I have six Pokémon where they have one or two… I wonder how I will write that in… Nevertheless, another battle awaits…

Lysandre leads with a Mienshao, but then uses U-Turn to switch it to a Honchkrow. Abigail just uses Swords Dance. Honchkrow falls to her Z move. Next up is Pyroar, so I switch to Doggy. Unfortunately, he gets off Will-O-Whip, and Pyroar survives an Earthquake. Doggy is injured by a Hyper Voice, but defeats it with an Earthquake. Meinshao comes back in, and has to face Tripod. It almost defeats Tripod with Hi Jump Kick, but Tripod defeats it with Dazzling Gleam. Lysandre sends out his Mega Gyrados and rapidly defeats Tripod. However, Rapier defeats it with Leaf Blade. The last opponent of the challenge is Xerneas, who goes down to Rapier's Smart Strike. I think this cements Kartana as one my favorite Pokémon…

And on to one of the final challengers, Ghestis… I wish that he should have been the mastermind behind all this, given how vicious he is and how much damage it causes in his own games… Right now he plans to be, but I had to stop him… Ghestis leads with a Cofagrigus that immediately uses Power Split and Shadow Ball to weaken Tripod. It's almost taken out by two Thunderbolts, but the opponent heals. For some reason, he decides to use Will-O-Wisp on Tripod, which is useless… He is taken out with a few more Thunderbolts. Also worth noting that Ghestis's theme is the one of the few remixes I really like in this area… The extra melody makes it sound so much more sinister…

His next Pokémon is Bouffalant. Quick Claw Thunderbolt allows me to weaken it, but it defeats Tripod with Head Smash. Doggy returns the favor with Brick Break. Next up is Hydreigon, one of the most feared Pokémon in his arsenal in the original games. Unfortunately, thanks to the introduction of fairies, this thing is mincemeat… It's double weak to them… Abigail's Z-move destroys in one hit, even without the power up… Bisharp doesn't do much better, falling in one strike to Sacred Sword… Last out of the gate is Zekrom. Rapier stays in, taking Bolt Strikes, and fighting back with Night Slash/ It takes some healing, but Zekrom goes down easily…

And nice to see Corless again… He's one of my favorite characters in the series, and one of the few people that doesn't really play much of an antagonistic role, even if he is not on the player's side in the truest sense. He is the one that's revealed to be sending the defeated team leaders back to their original worlds. Corless also created and mass-produced the Beast Balls, and he is the one that comes up with the device to give Necrozma its light by fusing it with the other two legendaries. I really like his role in this game…

Anyway, enough about him, and onto the mastermind behind it all, Giovanni! I have to say is this theme is really good, and he never got a theme in its own games... Maybe he will in the upcoming Pokémon Yellow reimaging… Anyway, he sends out Dugtrio. However, it only uses Stealth Rock before Victor takes it down. Rhyperior is next, but it doesn't fall so easily… Victor takes it down with two Multi Attacks, but is injured by Earthquake. Nidoking is also injured by Multi-Attack, but destroys Victor with Earthquake. Doggy wastes no time finishing the job with its own Earthquake. Nidoqueen comes out next, and she and Doggy injury each other with earthquakes… Giovanni heals, but his Pokémon is just injured again are taken down. And then there's his ultimate Pokémon, Mega Mewtwo X. Luckily, the added Fighting Type makes it vulnerable to moves it otherwise wouldn't be vulnerable to, such as Abigail's Z-move. Said move takes it down with a critical in one hit. And Giovanni called it an intense fight… It was anything but intense…

Speaking of which, a lot of people like the Rainbow Rocket portion of the game, but I can't say I share that sentiment… It does do some things well, like seeing the other team leaders is nice, the castle looks awesome, and the battles are quite challenging and enjoyable… However, there are some annoyances, such as the puzzles being tedious, most of the remixes not being that great, and the whole concept being almost completely nonsensical within the story when other postgame adventures have done a good job of fitting into pre-existing lore… And there's the fact that even get to this part, the game requires that players set up Festival Plaza, something which many players find too tedious to do… And another issue the player has to effectively do the episode before they can do almost anything else the postgame, as opposed to Sun and Moon's episode activating at any time… It can make things even more tedious, especially since many good Pokémon are only available in the postgame areas… Overall, I'd say the concept of the episode was good, but the execution was pretty lacking…

Luckily, I have free range now, so there's a few more things I can do… Time to stock up on items first… Also, I notice people address the player differently when they've beaten the game… It's a very nice touch… Something I've wanted in the Pokémon games for a while now… Anyway, the quests start at the Aether Paradise itself… Now I can battle against Faba. He comes at me with a full team of Psychic Pokémon, but he really is not that tough. Abigail and Rapier take care of them easily. Next location is the Aether House. Apparently, the quest I was trying to trigger before only triggers after the game is beaten… Time to go clean up the mess… Also, I get Porygon… My favorite Pokémon until Mimikyu stole the title… I wonder if something else will win when the next game comes out…

This is another quest in the house with the game begins… It involves the player's mom's Meowth battling someone else's… And if I select the right move, I win and get a PP Up. The move is Return, and the item is quite useful. The quest is hilarious too… There's a couple quests from Illmia as well. One is a battle for an Everstone. Another involves putting a Z-Crystal on a pedestal… Which means that I'm attacked by a high-level version of the Totem Pokémon… Luckily, it's nothing Rapier can't take care of... Doing so gets me a trial guide outfit. There are more quest to take care of, but I think that will be it for now… Many of them are much longer, and I don't want to rush through them…

**Day 28 (August 24, 2018)**

Time to finish up the last few quests, and the blog and the game itself… The first one involves going back to the altar where the Ultra Wormhole is. First things first, I need to make sure it's either day or night depending on what legendary Pokémon is captured. Since I captured Solgaleo, I think it needs to be day. If I had captured Lunala, I think it would need to be night. After that, I need to have the legendary Pokémon in my party… Next, I have to head to the Ultra Wormhole and then I can head to another world.

Or least, I think so… Turns out I've gotten the time of day screwed up, and it was the opposite of what I thought… Luckily, the game will still allow the player to go if they transfer another legendary Pokémon into it, so that's exactly what I do with one of my Lunalas. After that, I have both of the legendary Pokémon in my party and can enter the Ultra Wormhole. The next thing I need to do is fly to the lake that resembles the altar. In this case, it's the Altar of the Moone. Going there with the legendary Pokémon in my party will cause the other one to appear, and together they will create a Cosmog. Not all that useful, but needed for completion... And I always thought the scene was cool… Also worth knowing that this quest can actually be done before the game is cleared, after the fight with Necrozma. Unfortunately, I didn't know that, because the original games made it so the game had to be cleared… Not like I needed Cosmog before this…

But Cosmog is far from the only Pokémon I can catch now… Because the next Pokémon I can get are those relevant since the beginning of the game… And that would be the legendary Tapus… They are in their temples, and are fairly easy to find… Although I'm not sure how they will be to catch… They're still all level 60, so I outlevel them by a fair margin… That should make things easier…

Tapu Koko is the first one, and it's not too difficult… Tripod resists every attack but Nature's Madness, and Doggy is outright immune to most of them… Nature's Madness can't knock Pokémon out anyway, so it's not too much of an issue… The next Pokémon awaits, and it's Tapu Lele… Tapu Lele proves to be tougher, since I don't have much that can resist its attacks… Tripod and Rapier go down, but luckily Abigail is able to help out… With another successful catch, I head to the desert…

Unfortunately, Tapu Bulu isn't as easy to find, and the desert puzzle always requires a map… Luckily, it's mostly the same between both games… There's also a quest I can do here… There's a Stufful the player can talk to in one of the nearby motels. Originally, it wouldn't do a thing, but talking to a hiker to the right of the entrance reveals he's about to pass out from lack of water… Giving him the item Fresh Water allows the two to reunite… It's nice to see a happy ending, considering there wasn't much of an ending in the original games…

With that out of the way, it's time to take on Tapu Bulu… Tapu Bulu isn't too hard to defend against. Rapier resists or takes little damage against most of its attacks, and high defenses means that I can take attacks and hit back… The beast is difficult to catch, though… I end up using all my Timer Balls… I should go buy more before I head out to catch the last one… Also, there's a hilarious event where someone tries to interview Tapu Bulu about its former destruction… Unfortunately, it doesn't go well, and I get an item in return… Not really a useful one, but still worth doing…

Off to Tapu Fini's dwelling… I've heard it's notoriously difficult to catch, mainly because it has healing moves on top of the terrain that heals it normally… Maybe I'll get lucky… Tapu Fini also happens to be my favorite of the Tapus, mainly because it's a dolphin and associated with water… Not to mention looks pretty… And it's very strong… So now is the time to fight! Luckily, Tapu Fini comes surprisingly easily… There's the annoying Aqua Ring, and its Ability which makes it so I can't use status moves for the first few turns of the battle… Other than that, there are no issues… It helps that most of Tapu Fini's attacks are Water type, and Victor resists them all…

Gave the Ultra Wormholes one last shot… I don't think I will do it again after this… My scores are pretty consistent, and it makes my hand hurt after a while… Still no luck with them, unfortunately… So time to take on the other quests! There's a man looking around for Trainers that use Pokémon that all evolve from Eevee. However, he doesn't have time to do it himself, so he asked me to go find them… Usually, they can be difficult to find without a guide, but luckily I have one that shows all of the locations… They also have to be beaten in order… Luckily, they're not all that tough… The quest is still pretty sad though, because it's about old age, retirement and sometimes even giving up dreams, and even death… I always wished it could be happier, though… Maybe about how the people are passing their skills onto the next generation, enjoying their retirement, and otherwise proud about what they've accomplished… It might be that in the Traveler series, though, seeing as Sakura, the one Trainer who's never seen in the quest, is alive and actively serving as a Gym Leader in series…

Also got some other quests done, such as finishing up the battles in the school, and the teachers there congratulating my character on graduating in becoming the Champion. It's kind of bittersweet because it signals the run and the blog are finally coming to an end, and also reminds me my own past because I trained as a teacher before leaving the field… It was something that could've happened to me, but didn't… Hala also has a battle that's not in the original, and I can get some more Z-Crystals from him. I also get the Oval Charm from beating two of the game directors at Game Freak. I have to say I love these cameos… They've always been a nice little touch… I'm hoping they'll continue to be in the games… But alas, it's time for me to head out on my final adventure…

There's the rest of Poni Island to explore, and a few more things to be found… There's a lot of Trainer battles, though most aren't particularly noteworthy… There's a particularly funny one with the two Exeggutor types though… Sina and Dexio give a tutorial for Mega Evolution. Funnily enough, because I did the Team RR episode, I've already seen it, making the tutorial rather worthless… At least I get that ability now… Dexio also challenges me here, as a user of psychic Pokémon. Still not that tough… Anabel gets her cameo here, and becomes a partner in the Battle Tree. Unfortunately, I'm assuming this game assumes the player has played the other ones in Alola, because the game doesn't explain anything about Anabel's backstory or how she got here… And that's all explained in the originals… At least poor Looker gets another Pokémon after his other one got killed… Seems battling is not his strong suit still, though…

After a trek through the meadows, I finally arrive at what I've really been after: Resolution Cave. In the original games, this is where Guzzlord was. But in this game, it's the home of Zygarde. Capturing Zygarde opens up one of the final quests. So time to get to it! Unfortunately, it's not really much of a fight… Abigail can take all of its moves or resist them… And it gets down to the point where it is weakened a lot… It becomes a nice and easy catch…

There's still a bit more of Poni to explore… Namely, the Gauntlet… In the original games, this is where Mina held her trial. Here, it's just a bunch of tough Trainers. But the Red and Blue cameo is still there, along with battling against them. I've always liked this part, since Red and Blue are some of my favorite characters in the franchise… Not to mention the battles are actually pretty tough… They're not tough now, since outlevel them, but they are still stronger than most of the other Trainers in the game… Also, I made it to the Battle Tree, the game's competitive battling arena. Here I can fight foes without a break for Battle Points that can be used on rare items and things that can be gotten nowhere else. These Trainers are tougher than anything seen in the main game, and use strategies on par with what can be seen when playing online against human players… I usually don't do these types of facilities, but I did fairly well by scanning in a rental team in my Pokémon Sun version… It's also knowing that if the player wants 100% completion, they need all the stamps on the Trainer Card… And to get them all, the Battle Tree must be completed in its entirety… Perhaps I will give it a try one of these days, considering I have a lot of money and Battle Points but nothing to do with them… That would be offscreen, though…

For now, one last quest before the final battles of the game… First, I have to head to the Aether building on Route 16. There, I must do battle with Dexio. He's a little tougher than before, but nothing to worry about… After that, he gives me another Zygarde. It's 10% form, the same form as Doggy. And then, the game walks me through Zygarde assembly. Zygarde is divided into 100 cells and cores. And there is a 10% form, the one Dexio gave me and the form Doggy is. The regular form of Zygarde is called 50% form. If the 10% and the 50% form are combined with other cells and cores found throughout the region, Zygarde can achieve 100% form. 100% form Zygarde has an Ability that allows its take an incredibly strong form when it is a half HP or less in battle. Originally, the player had to find all the materials manually… Yet now Dexio just gives them to the player… It's pretty nice, considering finding the materials manually was a pain… So now I use the two new Zygarde to create 100% form. It's not something I'll be using, but it is nice to have, considering I never got this in the original games…

Time for the last quest in the game… The title defense… The Elite Four are back to battle, and although their teams are mostly the same, they are high leveled and better movesets. Defeating them all has the player defending their title from a challenger, and some Trainers can only be fought this way. Per tradition, I saved this quest for last, and I always do it at least once… So let's get to it!

Going in order again… Doggy takes out Molayne's entire team… Most of the Pokémon fall to Earthquake, but Bisharp falls to Brick Break. Klefki manages to use Spikes and Reflect, but Reflect, but Brick Break sees through that. Furthermore, Doggy nearly gets defeated by a combination of Metagross's Meteor Mash, and Magnezone's Flash Cannon after the latter's survives a hit using Sturdy. But as other than that, there is absolutely no issues…

Olivia is just as easy… Victor takes down her first Pokémon, and Rapier's Sacred Sword takes care of the rest… The worst that happened was Probopass survived a hit with Sturdy, and used Earth Power... It didn't even do that much damage… Acerola is no different… Abigail handles the Froslass, and Rapier's Night Slash handles the rest… Acerola does land some blows, such as Dhelmise's Phantom Force, and Drifblim's Aftermath. However, it's not enough to stop me… Kahili is a bit more challenging, but not much… Her Braviary moves before Tripod to get in a Crush Claw. It still gets taken down, but then Hawlucha attacks, and Tripod is weakened. Her Toucannon tries to finish the job by attacking with Brick Break, but thankfully, I heal. Oricorio does the most damage with Revalation Dance, but Tripod takes it down. Her last Pokémon doesn't even get chance to attack…

Now it's time to defend my title… I put Abigail in the front because I have no idea who's coming and may need to switch out. It turns out to be Hau… He's not nearly as much of an issue as last time… His Raichu gets in a Thunderbolt on Abigail, and his Tauros manages to weaken Rapier with two Earthquakes, but still gets taken down by two Sacred Swords. Noviern also gets a Dragon Pulse on Victor, but that barely does anything before Victor takes it out with Ice Beam. The rest is just simple Type matchups. And so ends the final quest…

I may as well show my team and final results… First is Abigail, a Mimikyu female, level 76. Her moves are Shadow Claw, Leech Life, Play Rough, and Swords Dance. She is holding her species Z Crystal. Then there's Spyro. It's a Naganadel, level 74. Its moves are Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Nasty Plot, and Sludge Bomb. It is holding the Wise Glasses. Victor is the next one, although he is only called by his species name in-game. He's a Silvally Water, level 77. His moves are Air Slash, Multi-Attack (Water), X-Scissor, and Ice Beam. Doggy is a Zygarde 10%, level 77. Its moves are Dragon Tail, Brick Break, Rock Slide, Earthquake, and it is holding an Expert Belt. Rapier is a Kartana, level 75. Its moves are Leaf Blade, Night Slash, Smart Strike, and Sacred Sword. It is holding an Amulet Coin. Che final member is Tripod. It's a Xurkitree, level 76. Its moves are Dazzling Gleam, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, and Signal Beam. It's holding a Quick Claw.

So with that being said, I may as well share my final thoughts on both the game and the blog itself... I will start with the game first. First off, is this a solid entry that fixed many of the problems the original Alola games had? Yes. Could it have done even better? Also yes.

To start off with the positive, it has fairly good Pokémon diversity compared to the originals, especially near the end. It also fixes issues such as lack of Move Tutors, short length, some of the more annoying side quests like the one with Zygarde, lack of an eighth trial and other world building things left unresolved in the previous games. Many things are also streamlined and sped up to make for a more enjoyable experience. The difficulty is also very good, with Pokémon having more varied movesets and opponents using more complex strategies. And this is without reaching the Battle Tree at all…

Unfortunately, this game is not perfect, despite the number of positive traits it has… One of the things that stood out to me was the revamped story, and how it seemed to be nonsensical at many parts… Biggest example was probably Lusamise, and how she was treated… The game attempts to make her sympathetic, but how well it does is up for debate… There's also Necrozma, and its plot line being a bit of a mess, and overwriting existing lore… The new characters are nice, but they are rather underdeveloped… It would've been nice to see more of the world, or at least hear about it… And the postgame doesn't make too much sense with the story, on top of being rather annoying…

There are other issues with the gameplay as well… The game is fairly slow up until around the last quarter or so, mainly following the original games' progression. Once the major changes kick in, the game speeds up and it becomes well worth following to the end… However, by that time, the player may have lost interest… It's one of the reasons why it took me so long to complete this game. I got bogged down in the slowness, and lost interest before picking it back up again… Some of the problems with the original still persist here as well… The trials are still too simplistic, despite the difficulty of the battles there increasing. It feels rather repetitive, and could've easily been replaced with a traditional Gym battle…

Furthermore, Pokémon placement is still not the best, with some of the more diverse creatures being placed near the end, or even after the main game is cleared… It's not as bad as the previous games in this regard, but it's still an issue… A lot of the new attractions, such as the Alola Photo Club and the Totem Stickers, are fairly useless. Even the ones that are more enjoyable and useful, such Ultra Warp Ride, may not be worth pursuing towards the end. And while a lot of items that are made easier to retrieve, there are some that have been made more difficult to find, and others that are still difficult to get…

Despite its flaws, the game did a fantastic job despite the limitations of the 3-D graphics and the size the 3DS could handle. And it was a huge improvement over the original Alola games… Even though it's not my favorite in the franchise, the game is definitely a solid entry and worth getting and replaying. Despite the slowness at the beginning, the run was still enjoyable, and I got make one the most interesting teams I've ever done. I'm hoping to do a couple more runs with it, and have as much fun with those challenges as I've had with this one.

As this is the final entry on my blog, I may as well say some final words about the blog itself… So this blog was created on a whim, when I noticed that the site I was on, The Artist's Zone, had an option to create blogs. A blog was something I always wanted to try out, so I figured I would give a try and attempt to write daily. Since I liked both gaming and writing, I decided my blog was going to be about that. So the next year was that experience as I wrote as much as I could. It was an experiment in more technical writing and also more lighthearted than I was used to doing. I enjoyed it, but eventually I started moving on to other projects… I also got used this style, and start working it into other stories… So the blog was left abandoned…

But then, I finally decided that I would play a game from start to finish on the blog, and use the notes to create a proper story… While I had many unsuccessful tries and one project that was on the blog but separate from its main entries, the end result was this game… Once I finished the game that would become the proper story, it would truly be the end of the blog… Despite my goal in mind, I didn't think I would ever reach the end… But now I have, and I left with mixed feelings… On one hand, I'm happy that project I took so long on has finally reached completion… On the other hand, I'm rather sad that something over a year has finally concluded, and it reminds me how much has happened since… I will miss this blog's entries, but I look forward to many other projects and stories… And I can look back on many cherished memories as I bid this blog a fond farewell…

Musings of the Wheels

July 23, 2017-August 24, 2018

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**Author's notes:**

**-So Scrapbook finally has a proper conclusion with this chapter. It was around half the size I expected it to be, but it still was an impressive amount of writing. Either way, this blog that was almost never going to sit the light of day is not properly placed and edited alongside other stories. Now the blog that almost no one saw can be seen by everyone.**

**-As for the stories in this blog, all of them have taken different paths. Some have been written since, others are in the process of writing, still others are absorbed into different works, and there's an unfortunate few that I chose not to write. Regardless, all of them in the notes behind them will be immortalized in this story, regardless of what state they're currently in.**

**-Whether I will write another blog or even a story in blog format is unknown at this point. There were a few ideas for a second blog, but they have since either been discarded or absorbed into other things. However, I'm still leaving the possibility of another blog open in future, and I'll probably write whatever fits my fancy. Until then, I will look back at the fond memories I had with this one, the one that became my scrapbook.**


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